June 2004

Senator Jay Costa hosted a press conference with other members of the Allegheny County state legislative delegation on Friday, June 18 to announce Senate and House bills that will provide a stable and reliable source of funding for public transportation. The Transportation for Livable Communities project urges you to contact your state Senator to endorse SB 1162, found at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/ALL/2003//0//SB1162.htm and your state Representative to endorse HB 2697, found here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/ALL/2003//0//HB2697.htm. To reach your state Senator or Representative please see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm.

A letter dated June 21 from PAPTA to endorse these two bills is available at: http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/NewFrontPage/june_21_Rendell_Letter.htm. Please e-mail David Ginns at mailto:dginns@sustainablepittsburgh.org with any questions or if you would like a copy of the Pennsylvania Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates (PAPTA). The PAPTA platform endorses the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association's funding proposal that is incorporated into the subject bills.

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April 2004

In April 2004, a letter was sent to the Governor from PAPTA concerning the need to link public transportation to economic development in the recently passed economic stimulus package.

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March 2004

In March 2004, PAPTA attended the House and Senate Appropriation Committees Hearings on the PENNDOT budget for Fiscal Year 2004/05. PAPTA prepared a revised platform and transmittal letter to the Governor. To access the letter, please click here.

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December 2003

David Ginns of Transportation for Livable Communities arranged several meetings with Senate and House key members and their staffs to discuss the public transportation crisis on December 8th and 9th in Harrisburg.  Joining TLC was Fred Brown of the Pittsburgh Transportation Equity Project, Stu Strickland of Save Our Transit, Richard LeGrande of Allegheny County Transit Council, and Marc Stier of the Northwest Campaign for Public Transportation in Philadelphia.  A letter was sent to Craig Shuey, Executive Director, Senate Transportation Committee, to provide a response to the proposal he discussed with the meeting participants.

TLC will continue working with its partners to develop a more formal position statement and add members to the coalition addressing public transportation.  If you would like to be a member of this coalition, please contact David at dginns@sustainablepittsburgh.org.

View the text of the letter by clicking here.

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June 2003

The Transportation for Livable Communities Project is a partnership of Sustainable Pittsburgh and the Surface Transportation Policy Project serving to advance transportation reform in southwestern Pennsylvania.  TLC has joined forces with the Campaign to Build Pennsylvania Public Transportation to address the public transportation funding crisis in Pennsylvania. 

There are two primary concerns.  One, restore the funding cuts to public transportation operations that are contained in the current Fiscal Year 2003/04 (beginning July 1, 2003) state budget.  Second, develop a stable and reliable source of funding for public transportation operations at both the state and federal level for future years. 

A copy of the letter to send to your state legislators is included at Sustainable Pittsburgh’s web site http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org/Transportation_Funding_Crisis_Letter.htm.  A link to find your legislators is below.  Please call David Ginns of TLC at 412/258-6652 or e-mail dginns@sustainablepittsburgh.org if you have any questions. 

Find your legislator here!

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January 2003

"The $300 Billion Question: Are We Buying A Better Transportation System?"

STPP's analysis of ten years of federal spending, titled "The $300 Billion Question: Are We Buying A Better Transportation System?" is available on www.transact.org. A press release was prepared by David Ginns who serves as coordinator for the Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) Project. The Transportation for Livable Communities Project is a partnership of Sustainable Pittsburgh and the Surface Transportation Policy Project serving to advance transportation reform in southwestern Pennsylvania. 

Link to the full text of the press release here.

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