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Transport chief praises U.S.-made streetcar
Thursday, July 02, 2009 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND (AP) - President Obama's transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, has words of praise for both Portland's mass transit and the first U.S.-made streetcar in decades.
LaHood told Oregon's congressional delegation on Wednesday that the region's commitment to rail transit will bring federal money, good local jobs and economic growth.
During the visit, Oregon Iron Works' subsidiary United Streetcar unveiled its first streetcar, which will be used in a few years on a Portland route.
The Oregonian reports the secretary also got an earful of complaints about federal mass transit policies from regional policymakers.
Seattle Transportation Department Director Grace Crunican told him the Federal Transit Administration has been almost an anti-transit agency. Let it be the pro-transit agency again, she told the secretary.
Portland's commitment to public transportation and its visionary streetcar system have made it one of the most livable and economically vibrant cities in America, LaHood said.
His visit was intended to underscore the administration's commitment to mass transit and walkable, mixed-use real estate development across the nation. It also comes as Congress and LaHood haggle over a six-year transportation bill that could provide federal money for streetcar construction, and potential United Streetcar customers.
The secretary toured United Streetcar's Clackamas factory and then sat down to talk mass transit policy with about 30 policymakers, union leaders and rail industry suppliers.
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, wrote a program called Small Starts that was intended to provide federal money for streetcars, but said the Bush administration slanted implementation to favor bus projects. Unlike highways and bridges, light rail and streetcar projects are held to strict cost-effectiveness standards that Blumenauer says bear little resemblance to reality.
Former Portland City Council member Charlie Hales said he took a job at national engineering firm HDR Inc. to help spread streetcars across the nation, but federal reviews have thwarted projects.
In this recession, perhaps 60 cities nationwide that want to build streetcar lines are running out of local money to spend, and running out of time to wait for the federal government, Hales said.
The secretary said he got the message but defended the use of cost-benefit analyses for mass transit projects.
"What I got is, there's a lot of frustration and I've heard that before," said LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Illinois. "We've got to make sure that when we fund projects, that taxpayer money is well spent."
LaHood told Oregon's congressional delegation on Wednesday that the region's commitment to rail transit will bring federal money, good local jobs and economic growth.
During the visit, Oregon Iron Works' subsidiary United Streetcar unveiled its first streetcar, which will be used in a few years on a Portland route.
The Oregonian reports the secretary also got an earful of complaints about federal mass transit policies from regional policymakers.
Seattle Transportation Department Director Grace Crunican told him the Federal Transit Administration has been almost an anti-transit agency. Let it be the pro-transit agency again, she told the secretary.
Portland's commitment to public transportation and its visionary streetcar system have made it one of the most livable and economically vibrant cities in America, LaHood said.
His visit was intended to underscore the administration's commitment to mass transit and walkable, mixed-use real estate development across the nation. It also comes as Congress and LaHood haggle over a six-year transportation bill that could provide federal money for streetcar construction, and potential United Streetcar customers.
The secretary toured United Streetcar's Clackamas factory and then sat down to talk mass transit policy with about 30 policymakers, union leaders and rail industry suppliers.
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, wrote a program called Small Starts that was intended to provide federal money for streetcars, but said the Bush administration slanted implementation to favor bus projects. Unlike highways and bridges, light rail and streetcar projects are held to strict cost-effectiveness standards that Blumenauer says bear little resemblance to reality.
Former Portland City Council member Charlie Hales said he took a job at national engineering firm HDR Inc. to help spread streetcars across the nation, but federal reviews have thwarted projects.
In this recession, perhaps 60 cities nationwide that want to build streetcar lines are running out of local money to spend, and running out of time to wait for the federal government, Hales said.
The secretary said he got the message but defended the use of cost-benefit analyses for mass transit projects.
"What I got is, there's a lot of frustration and I've heard that before," said LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Illinois. "We've got to make sure that when we fund projects, that taxpayer money is well spent."
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