Transit is the hot topic in Wisconsin with the Amtrak Hiawatha extension becoming a major point in this fall’s gubernatorial campaign. I guess it’s time to fight fire with fire … men.

I’m usually not one for reading comments to stories online because usually it is just inane blather by people hiding behind anonymity. I have been keeping an eye on comments about our new rail line here in Wisconsin. I see the benefit it will bring to the state, but it’s hard to make people here understand how it will work when public transit is “for them big city folks” for the most part. I did read a good analogy today, though.

One person posted a comment referring to the usual argument of no one using the rail line by comparing transit funding to funding for fire departments. I like this analogy. I may get lambasted for this, but what we have here (strictly from a usage perspective) is a service that people want to use versus one they hope they never use.

Think of this the next time someone says they don’t want to put a new transit line in their area because they will never use it. Ask them, “So would you reduce funding to the fire departments?” I am sure you will get the apples and oranges argument, but think about it for a minute. We are funding fire departments to make sure they have all the tools they need with the hope that they will never have to use them. The world would probably be a better place if all fire fighters were able to spend their time in the fire station just waiting for the bell to ring.

On the other hand we have transit, the quintessential “I won’t pay for this because nobody will use it.” But what if they do? Just like fire departments, we need to make sure that transit is available for people when they need it or — in the best of cases — they choose to use it.

The other side of this argument is making sure that transit is there when you need it. Think if your house was on fire and you called 911 and the fire department couldn’t help you out — maybe because of budget cuts. Sure, another apples to oranges comparison, but then ask the people using transit on the East and West Coasts. Thousands of people couldn’t get to work this week because our transit infrastructure failed.

Was there a national public outcry? Has Congress stepped up to the mic demanding answers? Thankfully neither situation resulted in any deaths or injuries (that I am aware of), but how is this infrastructure failing any more of a signal to us then the I-35 bridge collapse?

Transit continues to be put off in the corner by our politicians as they lobby to the public, making transit seem less and less important. They would never do this to fire departments, but then again, while we expect the trains to run on time, we hope fire fighters don’t have to worry about it.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit news fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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Despite significant improvements in technology, transit isn’t quiet. Sure, electrically powered vehicles don’t have the metallic rumble of engines past, but they are still far from quiet. And that’s just on the outside. What’s worse is the noise inside.

At the dinner table at night my wife and I have begun asking for a moment of silence before we eat. This isn’t necessarily out of respect for anyone in particular, but to get our kids to appreciate how nice quiet can be. Anyone who travels as much as I do can commiserate with this.

Frankly, traveling is noisy. The bustle of people and the large machines that move them creates a din that you usually don’t realize is there until it’s gone. No wonder so many people ride transit with headphones in — at least the noise is of my own choosing.

This week I read an article about a fight coming to a head in Congress over cell phone use on airplanes. It’s a battle between travelers’ rights groups who want the United States to follow Europe’s lead in allowing cell phone usage on flights and the FAA who sees them as a potential hazard to use in the air.

As any Mythbuster’s fan can tell you, they already tested the veracity of the FAA’s concern and:

“The ban on cell phones on aircraft is designed to force passengers to use the expensive in-flight phones.

Busted.

It was found that cell phone signals, specifically those in the 800-900 MHz range, did interfere with unshielded cockpit instrumentation. Because older aircraft with unshielded wiring can be affected, and because of the possible problems that may arise by having many airborne cell phones “seeing” multiple cell phone towers, the FCC (via enforcement through the FAA) still deems it best to err on the safe side and prohibit the use of cell phones while airborne.” (http://mythbustersresults.com/episode49)

So the FAA has a point. But really, that shouldn’t matter. The fact is that people on cell phones can be loud, rude and give freely with information no one around them wants to hear.

My point is that while the government is fighting to keep this ban in place, they should be fighting to extend it to all forms of transit. If I don’t want to listen to the guy next to me on a plane talk on his cell phone, why would I on the bus or train? Sure, there are quiet cars on most rail lines, but the quiet ones shouldn’t be herded into a special car, it should be the loud ones.

If this does happen, let’s hope at least they will free up other portable electronics so I can turn up my iPod when the guy next to me is talking to his doctor about his latest check-up.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit news fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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As I write this I sit in Reagan National Airport after a long day of commuting from Wisconsin to Washington, D.C., and back. The hardest part aren’t the flights, though. It’s the long drive after I get home.

The trip to Washington, D.C., was much easier because of transit. I could hop on Metro and take the train into the heart of the nation’s capital without worrying about needing a car or hailing a taxi. Oh and did I mention that the airport is in Virginia? I can’t do that back in Wisconsin right now.

From where I live it’s about an hour in either direction to an airport. Now an hour drive isn’t terrible, especially on local roads with little early morning traffic, but after a day that started at four this morning, I am not looking forward to getting off a plane and driving an hour back home.

Of course, government willing and the creek don’t rise, in about three years I won’t have to. In that time the Madison-to-Milwaukee extension of Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line should be up and running. Then it will probably be an hour still to the airport from my house, but I won’t be behind the wheel.

I think that’s something rail detractors forget when they say no one is going to use a new train line. It’s usually seen as a means of getting commuters off the road. And that is a valid reason. But there are so many other uses. Getting to the airport is just one. I rank that probably second bend commuting in most books. But what about the other ones?

How about taking my kids to the comic book store the next town over. Sure it’s only a 20-minute drive by car, but the store is only a block from the proposed train station. I may not do it all the time, but it’s nice to have the option. And it’s nice to know that I could send my kids when they are older without having to drive them myself.

It’s this idea of connecting communities that we miss when it comes to rail projects. We look at station locations and cities as places on a map and not communities each able to offer something different to riders who stop there. We miss out on the people.

Being the editor of a magazine focusing on the people of this industry makes me look at things differently I guess. Instead of going to communities and making them afraid of what a train could bring to their town, how about we ask them what they can bring to the train?

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit news fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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It’s been a typical summer week here at Mass Transit — working all week long and before you know it, it’s gone. The same goes for transit projects I suppose. All that work and the completion just kind of sneaks up on you. Several stories popped up this week and I couldn’t decide which one to write about, so here are all of them.

The first two stories to pique my interest both came from China. First we have a report about maglev trains being run in a vacuum tube.

Sure it seems far-fetched, but a prototype is being worked on and it’s expected to hit 1,000 Km/h (about 625 mph) in two to three years. That’s beyond high-speed rail — that’s scary fast.

Here we’re looking at building a rail line between Milwaukee and Madison that will go 79 mph in the same time frame. And that project — among many other transit projects in the United States — faces stiff opposition from the anti-transit squad.

Is it going to take a cloud of smog covering our nation like the one hanging over Beijing for us to realize that transit needs serious funding on all levels?

On that note, another interesting concept came out of China this week. This one revolves around giant buses that “straddle” highways, allowing cars to pass underneath them, freeing up roadways. Talk about taking cars off the road!

This interesting take on congestion raises the idea that the transit industry can do more than what we’ve done in the past. It’s easy to fall into bus and rail ruts where “new” products are based on dated designs with small tweaks. Yes, I know, these designs are tried and tested and work, but perhaps for transit to take off we need something wholly different than what we have on the streets and rails right now.

Finally, we have our questionable politician of the week. This one comes from Madison, Wis., where Peter Theron, a candidate running for the seat held by U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin, wanted to stop traffic at the potential site of a rail crossing for the Madison-to-Milwaukee Amtrak extension.

Did I mention that he wanted to do this on a Friday? During rush hour? And he wanted to do it 26 times?

Why? Because according to a 2002 transportation alternatives analysis report, the new rail line is supposed to cross that intersection 13 times an hour when it is up and running. Of course, the 2008 federal funding application only called for six crossings an hour during rush hour and current expectations are 12 crossings a day.

Regardless of why, is the how here. As in how is this in any way a scientific study? Having a few untrained individuals with flags stopping cars during rush hour will do what exactly? It won’t simulate train crossings, at least not accurately. All it will do is tick people off. But perhaps that was the plan all along.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.

Theron won’t be stopping traffic a couple dozen times during rush hour; instead he will do “informational picketing.”  My favorite kind.

Just another summer week in transit.

One last thing. The day before this year’s California Transit Association Fall Conference & Expo will be the first Jim Ditch Memorial Golf Tournament. As friend’s of Jim will tell you, he loved the transit industry and the Jim Ditch Education Fund has been set up in his honor. This fund supports students who wish to advance their career in transit. Proceeds from the tournament will go to the fund. If you are heading out to the CTA show, think about attending the tournament and helping this worthwhile transit cause.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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What do the NFL and AC Transit have in common? Neither may have service this weekend.

Most NFL teams open training camps this weekend. Players are starting to filter into their respective camps and prepare for another season of professional football. That is with the exception of the first round of this year’s draft class. As it stands now (Thursday afternoon), only three first round draft picks have signed contracts. The remaining picks are all waiting on the number one pick, Sam Bradford, to sign with St. Louis so they can base their contracts off his.

AC Transit is facing its own group of first round draft hold outs. When contract negotiations broke down with the union representing its operators and mechanics, AC Transit’s board imposed a contract.

I’m not going to get into the middle of this fight. Each side has good reason for following it’s convictions. I don’t have a problem with sticking up for what you believe in. What I do have a problem with is how the AC Transit union members are going about demonstrating their disapproval.

Rather than calling a strike, there have been numerous union members “calling in sick” and not showing up for work. AC Transit has had to cut service already and is considering ending weekend service for the time being.

This “sick out” isn’t unheard of, but it’s bad business. Much like when an NFL player holds out for more money, this does nothing but hurt the people who value the service the most.

The NFL is facing a strike and lock out next season. Will it happen? I can’t say, but I can  get behind players banding together and sticking up for their convictions. But what would you say if this season players just randomly called in sick and miss games. If games had to be forfeited because your team members didn’t show up for work.

That’s what the union is doing here. And frankly that doesn’t do anyone any good. The union looks bad. The agency looks bad. And transit itself looks bad.

You don’t like the contract? Fine. Strike and be done with it. This game of hide-and-go-to-work needs to end before the only thing gained by either side is more room on the buses after riders depart for good.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit fix via Twitter.

Fred

fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com

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The last two weeks were filled up with talk about the Madison-Milwaukee Amtrak extension being built in my backyard (well, not literally). What got me excited most about this were the unseen benefits I found when taking a longer look at the new line.

If you haven’t heard from me (or just about any other news outlet), Wisconsin was one of the big winners in the FRA stimulus lotto earlier this year. The Badger State scored a little north of $800 million to upgrade the Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha line and expand it to Madison as the first leg toward a line bridging Chicago with the Twin Cities.

One stop along the new line happens to be in my hometown and last Tuesday was a meeting to discuss the station design. I was expecting maybe a small, covered platform and possibly a building with bathrooms, but I was pleased to find plans for a large intermodal station. Sure, we don’t have any fixed-route transit, but I was overjoyed to see plans to accommodate it for the future.

Today was a trip to a brown bag lunch hosted by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. The event was hosted in Milwaukee’s Third Ward at the Public Market. I’ll admit I had no idea it was there when I arrived. I knew redevelopment had been taking place in the Third Ward, but this was very impressive.

And what was most impressive to me was that this market was about four blocks from the recently renovated Milwaukee Amtrak Intermodal Station. What a great opportunity!

So in the last two weeks I found an excellent design for a station in my hometown and a new place to visit once the rail extension gets up and running. A good week. Unfortunately, this was all tempered by the prevailing question at each event. No, not anything about construction or design, but about whether or not the rail line could be stopped.

The greatest concern by the people present was whether the plan was far enough long that it would actually happen or whether our newly elected governor this fall could put a stop to it if he so chose. And before the rail-haters come out of the woodwork, the question was posed by people who were worried that the train would be stopped. These were citizens who wanted the train to come to their hometowns and afraid politics wouldn’t let the rails make it that far.

It’s kind of sad when you think about it. Just looking at the plans for the rail extension and I already saw several personal unseen benefits from it — ones that others could benefit from as well. And the prevailing feeling is worry not anticipation.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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A couple great articles this week made it clear to me that if rail (high-speed or otherwise) is going to succeed in the United States, it will only happen by partnering with private businesses.

My boss, his boss and I discussed how good it felt when you make a list of things to get done and actually complete it a few days ago. That must be how it is feeling in areas around the United States as they make their lists for new rail lines, cross off the completed items and see their plan come to fruition.

That seems to be the case here in Wisconsin. Plans for a new Madison-Milwaukee rail line are coming to fruition despite clamoring to take money away for other purposes. I would have to say the feeling is one of cautious optimism. Sure, you will have people on the far sides of the fence for and against rail, but I’m throwing them out of the bell curve.

But that feeling could slip if progress doesn’t continue. Already the feeling of “Yeah! We got rail money!” for the FRA lotto winners across the country is starting to get drowned out by detractors. California’s high-speed rail authority is being assailed from a host of directions, making it rethink some of its plans.

The most interesting group staying quiet (at least from making major media statements) is the freight rail companies. Frankly, this needs to change. I’m not calling out the freight rail companies here so much as the various rail authorities who need the Class I railroads if they are going to make this resurgence in passenger rail a success.

The freight rail companies are a key component in this picture of a future “rail-topia” because, well, they control the tracks. As the one article above notes, laying new, passenger-only tracks is expensive and duplicative. Let’s call it like it is — stupid and wasteful.

The freight railroads need to stand arm-in-arm with the passenger rail authorities and let the public know that they are working to do for passenger rail what they have for freight rail in the United States. Sure, we look to Europe and Asia when it comes to passenger rail, but the United States moves nine times the freight by rail than Europe does.

The United States isn’t necessarily behind Europe in terms of rail, it just went in a different direction. To move into the future we don’t need to lay new tracks, we need to merge with the ones we have and use all that freight rail know-how to make the U.S. rail system world class no matter if you are moving people or products.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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How much money is wasted on public transit? That’s a loaded question, I know, but I still wonder it sometimes. Oh, I don’t mean transit agencies wasting money. I hear enough about that from people every day. Shouting from the mountaintops about what a waste transit is. No, what I am talking about is how much money did they spend getting up there to do the shouting.

I read a really good article this week about Tom Donohue, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and last year’s speaker at the APTA Legislative Conference luncheon. It should come as no surprise that most of politics is about money. Unfortunately it seems most of life has come to be about that these days.

But the article got me to think about transit spending. On the one hand you have agencies in an odd Catch-22. They are (very) thankful to the federal government for the recent stimulus funding, yet shake their heads in wonder and fists in rage as SAFETEA:LU gets treated like the proverbial red-headed stepchild on Capitol Hill. Much of that is likely to blame for all the anti-transit funding out there.

I define “anti-transit funding” as money spent to delay, divert or outright defeat any transit measure, be it a funding bill in Congress or a BRT line in your hometown. Now sit back for a minute and chew on that for a bit. How much money is being spent each year just to shoot down transit initiatives?

Heck, how much is spent just to make transit look bad? How many people have made careers (and lucrative ones at that) out of bashing public transit?

Books are written deriding the benefits of public transit. Speeches are given. And much money is spent getting politicians and the public against transit. Millions if not billions of dollars are likely spent on the effort each year.

And what do these people get for in many cases cultivating a fear of transit? More congestion on roadways? Sprawl? Personal satisfaction?

As the article on Donohue points out, Washington is run by money. And it seems that transit is always a few coins short of getting that ticket with unlimited passes. The next time an anti-transit campaign starts up about a project in your area, ask yourself how much are they spending on it.

How much money is being wasted telling you that transit is a waste?

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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Mass Transit’s parent company, Cygnus Business Media, recently started a Wellness Committee to promote all things good for you. One of its first initiatives was our own version of “The Biggest Loser” challenge. I gave it a shot (I did well, but didn’t have the dedication of some of my compatriots), but despite my efforts, I’ve found the best weight loss plan is public transit.

I attended a rail summit in Chicago this week and took Amtrak from Milwaukee to the event. Rather than opting for a cab, my publisher and I walked the six blocks to its location.

Need I point out that Chicago in late June is not exactly cool on a bright sunny day?

Once there it was six flights of stairs up to the hall where the presentations were being given. I know, elevators are great, but everyone was using the stairs, so I literally went with the flow.

The return trip was more of the same. As I rode home I thought about how transit definitely keeps you in shape, and it looks like I was right. A story came out this week discussing a study stating transit has its own built-in exercise program.

What’s the optimal stop/station spacing for transit? Most destinations within ¼ mile walk of bus stops and ½ mile walk from rail stations?

It’s all a matter of relativity really. If I am going to walk a half mile, it’s a planned thing. We have a nice bike/walking trail next to our offices with markers for every half mile. But when I was walking the six blocks in downtown Chicago, it wasn’t a matter of distance; it was a matter of getting to a destination on time.

It’s amazing to me listening to transit’s deriders out there when transit not only helps the environment, but also helps improve your health. We’d probably be a much healthier nation if transit had a larger presence in all of our lives.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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Rail is the buzzword in transit this summer regardless if you’re talking about funding, construction or safety. But as the one-year anniversary of the tragic Metro Rail crash in Washington, D.C., comes around this week, I realize how quickly we’ve moved forward.

I was going to write about the Metro Rail crash for last year in this week’s column. Maybe discuss some of the memorials in honor of those who died in the accident.

But then the story about a Spanish train slamming into a group of beach revelers crossed my desk this morning hitting home just how powerful a train is and the dangers inherent in them.

Now, don’t get me wrong, playing on train tracks is like playing on the freeway. You’re just asking for trouble. But as we move forward into a new era of rail in the United States, I think a whole new level of education needs to come along with it.

For most kids trains are either of the freight variety or the “Thomas” variety. They are things to be viewed with wonder and they don’t move very fast.

While I can agree with the former, trains aren’t the slow-moving vehicles of old. This is never clearer than when you read about an accident involving a train. Almost always it includes a comment about the operator seeing the car, truck, whatever, on the tracks and not being able to stop in time despite being a significant distance (i.e. mile) away.

As we start investing in high-speed rail in the United States and these trains move through towns, residents need to be made clear the proper safety measures surrounding them. And this is in part for protection and also to prevent fearmongering as is often the case when a rail line is put into an area.

Trains aren’t dangerous. No more than a car or plane is. But they need to be show the proper respect, which it seems can be lacking at times. You wouldn’t walk down the middle of an interstate hoping the cars would just pass you by, would you? Then why walk on the train tracks? You don’t run a red light just because you think you can get across before the car in the other direction comes along do you? Then why drive your car around a lowered crossing arm and try to get across the tracks before the train comes along?

The FRA is first and foremost a safety organization and it does a good job of getting its message out there. But as rail becomes more prevalent in the United States, those towns getting the new lines need to also take up the safety banner and educate residents the proper techniques for dealing with trains rather than pointing fingers when somebody does something stupid and loses their life.

Thanks for reading the MT Position, updated every Friday. For those interested in instant updates, you can now get your latest Mass Transit fix via Twitter.

Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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