http://www.nctransit.org Association Web site en-us http://www.nctransit.org/images/NewImages/NCPTAlogo.jpg http://www.nctransit.org 150 116 NCPTA Logo http://www.nctransit.org/news/index.html North Carolina Public Transportation Association (NCPTA) has launched a fresh, new web site with the latest information and interactive members-only area. Please visit nctransit.org. http://www.nctransit.org/news/099CATSinvests.html CATS Interim CEO John Muth donated a bus to CPCC President Tony Zeiss for the College’s Transport System Technology program at the Transport Systems Building, located at the CPCC North Campus in Huntersville. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/index.html The Federal Transit Administration Web site contains proposed FTA circulars or guidance documents. See circular topic is "Capital Facilities and Formula Grant Programs." Title: Urbanized Area Formula Program. Program Guidance and Application Instructions are available. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/0910ChapelHillTransitJoins.html Chapel Hill Transit will join the GoTriangle Regional Transit Information Center on October 5, 2009. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/099CabarrusCountyKicks.html A new transportation service linking rural residents to major employment, shopping, and medical offices will begin October 5 in Cabarrus County. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/0910NewWeekdayExpress.html A new weekday express bus route connecting Zebulon and Wendell with downtown Raleigh will begin on Monday, October 26, 2009. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/index.html Register today to participate in one of NCPTA’s upcoming training forums! The 5 hour training has been created for all public transit staff that interact with internal and external customers. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/0912CharolotteTopsNation.html Charlotte tops the nation in the growth of people using public transit between 2006 and 2008 in a recent report issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/index.html http://www.nctransit.org/news/0912PurdueSignsOrder.html The task force will make recommendations to ensure that people and goods are able to move efficiently across North Carolina. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/0912TriangleTransitProvides.html In support of aging citizens and increased mobility options and opportunities, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Triangle Transit are endorsing and participating in Older Driver Safety Awareness Week which is being sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association. Read more... http://blogs.newsobserver.com/crosstown/jacksonville-auto-dealer-picked-for-nc-board-of-transportation Michael K. Alford, a Jacksonville auto dealer, is Gov. Bev Perdue’s 11th pick for a vacant seat on the state Board of Transportation. Read full article... http://www.newsobserver.com/340/story/278534.html?story_link=email_msg A federal spending surge of more than $20 billion for roads and bridges in President Barack Obama's first stimulus has had no effect on local unemployment rates, raising questions about his argument for billions more to address an urgent need to accelerate job growth. Read full article... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1001ReactionToStimulusNews.html This week, the Associated Press released a flawed analysis of the results of the economic stimulus spending on roads and bridges.Its authors overlooked the 210,000 direct on-project transportation jobs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee determined were created by stimulus. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1001ObamaProposesPolicyShift.html In a dramatic change from existing policy, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today proposed that new funding guidelines for major transit projects be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to cost and time saved, which are currently the primary criteria. In remarks at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting, the Secretary announced the Obama Administration’s plans to change how projects are selected to receive federal financial assistance in the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) New Starts and Small Starts programs. Read more... http://www.newsobserver.com/356/story/282753.html Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday rescinded Bush administration restrictions on federal transit grants so that a wider range of projects will be eligible and local transit systems will receive money faster. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1002TIGERprogramFunding.html One year to the day after President Obama signed the historic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will announce Recovery Act awards to states, tribal governments, cities, counties and transit agencies across the country to fund 51 innovative transportation projects. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1002TIGERstimulusFunds.html The U.S. DOT announced the winners of its $1.5 billion TIGER grant awards today. Transit and rail projects won big, winning a much larger share of the funds than is typical from the DOT, whose typical annual allocations go 3:1 in favor of highways. Not so today. Read more... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1002FTAkillsPlan.html $70 million will be redistributed for operating funds at cash-strapped local agencies; fate of $422 million more also committed to the project is unclear. One clear outcome of the distribution of stimulus funds to transit agencies across the country was a marked preference for using the money to increase capital spending, rather than a ramp up of operations. Read more... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022204804.html Aided by a handful of Republicans, Senate Democratic leaders on Monday kept alive a $15 billion job-creation measure and are poised to pass the measure later this week. Read more... http://www.washingtonpost.com The Senate has approved a $15 billion jobs bill, 70 to 28. The next stop is the House where Democratic leaders are weighing whether to pass the Senate version or go to conference to reconcile it with the $154 billion jobs bill the House passed in December. http://www.aashtojournal.org/Pages/030310trustfund.aspx The Senate approved a bill Tuesday night to extend legal authority for the Highway Trust Fund for 30 days, sending the legislation to President Barack Obama, who has now signed the measure. Read More... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/35751371#35751371 Cash-strapped states are making big cuts to their public transportation systems, leaving millions without a ticket to ride. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1002MountainMobility20years.html The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners have issued a proclamation designating March 22-28 as Mountain Mobility Week, kicking off Mountain Mobility’s plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the County’s public transportation system. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1003MVeoliaRiderMarks.html Last month Veolia Transportation Rider hosted the VT Safety Café to celebrate achieving 180 days without a preventable accident. This was the first time Veolia Rider had reached that mark. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/index.html The 2009 System Safety Awards Nomination Form is attached. Please complete and return the form via fax or email by May 1, 2010 at 5pm. General Guidance for system classification is based on NCDOT Op stats categories. If you have any questions, please contact myself or Deborah Feaster. Winning system awards will be announced at the conference. http://www.nctransit.org/news/1004PublicInvited.html The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) wants to hear what the communities of the Piedmont Triad think about the future of transportation in the region. PART has officially kicked-off the public comment period for its regional transit planning process by launching a new project website and online survey. Read More... http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/20/445959/perdue-proposes-19-billion-budget.html Gov. Bev Perdue proposes a $19 billion state budget this morning. She's had to deal with a $788 million deficit that is likely to grow bigger in the coming weeks. Read More... http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/21/447829/perdue-taps-two-familiar-sources.html Gov. Bev Perdue isn't ready to hike taxes to meet more of the state's transportation needs, but in her 2011 budget proposal she finds $94.6 million in "new" money from two sources the legislature has tapped in the past. Read More... http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/12/478309/rails-seen-as-relief-for-congested.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz0oU9DVMEN Steady growth across the Triangle will make our traffic worse over the next decade, and thousands of students and workers will be eager to park the car and catch a train. That's the forecast in a new report on demand for commuter trains that would run every 40 minutes Read More... http://www.fta.dot.gov/news/news_events_11653.html The Federal Transit Administration today issued its Supplemental Fiscal Year 2010 Apportionments and Allocations and Corrections Notice, which provides transit funding information for the remainder of the calendar year, and update apportionment tables to reflect 100 percent of the FTA's grant programs for FY10. Read More... http://blogs.newsobserver.com/crosstown/ferries-getting-more-tax-money-will-be-asked-to-charge-higher-tolls Ferry riders pay tolls that cover less than 6 percent of operating costs for the State Ferry Division. House budget writers want to see that figure rise to 100 percent. Read More... http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/05/31/daily45.html Call it the government version of a merger: The staff of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority got new bosses on June 1 as their integration into the North Carolina Department of Transportation kicked into a higher gear. Read More... http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/05/31/daily66.html All aboard! That was the sentiment of the day on Saturday when the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Amtrak launched mid-day train service between Raleigh and Charlotte. Read More... http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/13/530212/talk-of-i-95-tolls-revives.html North Carolina leaders are talking once again about collecting tolls from drivers to finance a long-deferred, multibillion-dollar rebuild of Interstate 95 - and this time they sound serious. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/index.html#roles Since 1998, Congress has banned the use of federal funds to pay for public transportation operations in communities of more than 200,000 people, effectively requiring transit agencies to pay for all of their salary, electricity, and fuel costs using local or state revenues. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has continued to sponsor a majority of costs for capital expenses, including the construction of expensive new fixed-guideway bus and rail lines. Read More... http://blogs.newsobserver.com/crosstown/durham-puts-triangle-transit-in-the-data-drivers-seat Triangle Transit, which buses commuters between towns and cities in three counties, will expand its reach in October to take charge of Durham’s urban bus system. A three-year contract approved Wednesday by Triangle Transit trustees and Monday by the city council will make the agency responsible for planning, marketing and management of DATA, the Durham Area Transit Authority. Read More... http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/30/558110/budget-snips-and-trims-kicks-deficit.html Gov. Bev Perdue signed a $19 billion state budget late today, after House and Senate Democrats gave it their final blessing. The budget avoided many of the deepest cuts under consideration, but leaves a deficit for next year that could swell to $3 billion. Read More... http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/30/558125/ferry-spending-way-up-road-maintenance.html Sharply higher spending in the state Ferry Division will eat up an extra $11.3 million from the Highway Fund next year, and the Department of Transportation will cut road maintenance spending by $4.4 million. The changes are outlined in the 2011 budget, which won preliminary approval Tuesday in the House and Senate. The budget sets aside $46 million to inaugurate the N.C. Mobility Fund proposed by Gov. Bev Perdue, who wanted nearly $100 million. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1007CharlotteStreetcarProject.html A $293 million investment announced today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood means that residents in dozens of communities nationwide will soon enjoy major transit improvements, including new streetcars, buses, and transit facilities. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/jobs/index.html#ED The NCPTA Board of Directors seeks proposals for Professional Services from individuals to serve as its Executive Director. Read More... http://charlotte.news14.com//?ArID=628288 Highway 52 connects two eastern Rowan County towns and now a new bus service brings them closer. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/jobs/index.html#ED The NCPTA Board of Directors extends the deadline for proposals for Professional Services from individuals to serve as its Executive Director. Read More... http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/aug/08/tracking-the-future/news/ Transportation's a hot topic in Winston-Salem these days, with elected officials, landowners and motorists fretting over the dim prospects for quick action on road projects such as the Northern Beltway and Business 40 reconstruction. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/index.html#obsolete Here’s how the Highway Trust Fund was supposed to work, back when it was created in 1956 to fund the Interstate Highway System: Congress would redistribute annual revenue from a series of fuel taxes on a proportional basis to states to cover the majority of construction costs of freeways from Maine to Montana. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1008OverwhelmingResponse.html In an overwhelming show of support for the Administration’s high-speed rail initiative, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has received 77 applications from 25 states for the most recent round of High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) grant funding. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1008CTSStraining.html Cabarrus County Transportation had its annual training on August 28, 2010. This year NC Highway Patrol Offers Karen Cagle and Kevin Henley made their anti-texting presentation. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1008CTSStraining.html Cabarrus County Transportation had its annual training on August 28, 2010. This year NC Highway Patrol Offers Karen Cagle and Kevin Henley made their anti-texting presentation. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1009ExecDirectorNamed.html Starting October 1st, 2010, The North Carolina Public Transportation Association (NCPTA) will have a New Executive Director. Randy Bass, President, announced today that Linda Wallace has been selected to lead their 200+ member organization as Executive Director. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/1010MessageFromED.html I want to thank you for providing me this opportunity to serve as your Executive Director. I promise to continue to enhance the goals of the organization in my tenure and with your help set a course that directs and delivers initiatives that promote safe, accessible and efficient public transportation in our great state Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/11conference/download/11confSaveDate1.pdf Save the Date for the 2011 Annual Conference. Read More... http://www.nctransit.org/news/downloads/Register-NewPartnersSmartGrowthConfFeb2011.pdf REGISTER NOW for the NCPTA Annual New Partners for Smart Growth- Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities http://www.nctransit.org/11conference REGISTER NOW for the NCPTA Annual Conference http://www.nctransit.org Spotlight headline: 1st DHHS/NCDOT NEMT Meeting Held http://www.nctransit.org Spotlight headline: APTA: Blue Ribbon Panel On Workforce Development Releases Report http://www.nctransit.org Spotlight headline: APTA: Michael P. Melaniphy unanimously voted to new President and Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2011, replacing retiring president William Millar.