Meghan Plans Transit

Today I am attending a National Transit Institute (NTI) sponsored workshop on Transit Oriented Development. A little birdie has told me that  other transit twiterati will be in attendance too! So be sure to follow today’s tweets from @mamakoid @KathyCornett @CrimSen05 @PinQueenCity @CityBeautiful21 and many others!

In the meantime, tell us what do you like to see near transit?

• What kind of development, uses, scale, density and massing do you like to see?
• Is it residential? Is it apartments?
• A coffee shop, perhaps?
• Or is it microbreweries?
• Your favorite restaurant?
• Do you like it built-up and dense or pedestrian-scale uses?
• How about linear parks?

Whatever it is, just share what you like to see near transit, but don’t forget the hashtag #TransitThursday or we can’t hear you! 

Happy #TransitThursday y’all!

This Sunday is Mother’s Day!

((hint)) ((hint)) if you haven’t bought your mother’s day card yet.

Many of our moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends that are moms rely on transit every day. So I thought, what a better way to celebrate transit this #TransitThursday than to celebrate the many Moms in Transit!

Some moms in transit even blog about their experiences, like Carla Saulter AKA @SeattleBusChick. If you don’t follow her tweets or her blog http://www.buschick.com/blog/, I highly recommend checking her out! Streetfilms has even featured her before: http://www.streetfilms.org/meet-seattles-bus-chick/

I LOVE that more and more moms are choosing transit over driving giant minivans or SUVs as a viable way to cart the kids around, run errands and to travel to work. 

There’s even a Mom in Portland who has ditched her car and uses her bike to cart around her SIX kids!!! http://www.today.com/moms/biker-mama-mother-six-ditches-suv-super-sized-bike-998748  Now that’s awesome —> http://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car-this-mom-does-it-all-by-bike-73731

So let’s celebrate the moms who ride transit! Share blogs and twitter handles or pics of moms who ride transit; tell their story! Share about your moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, or even your friends that are moms who rely on transit. How do they do it? Why do they do it? 

Don’t have a story about a mom who rides transit? That’s OK! Share your story of where you plan to take your favorite mom this weekend using transit? Where are you going? What route will you take?

 Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! I hope you are well celebrated on this glorious #TransitThursday! :-)

Justin (@BJustin) and I must be on the same wavelength today! Great #Transit minds MUST think alike ;-)

I sat down to write this post this morning thinking about all of the cool things to celebrate this week about transit. I started pulling together all of the celebrations, events and news stories that have happened this week and that are happening this month:

• @Amtrak turned 42 yesterday. Happy Birthday @Amtrak!
• @triangletransit turned 20 on April 30th. Happy Birthday @triangletransit! Love that video by @inkspotcrow http://t.co/h4tW0uLrqQ
• @GrandCentralNYC continues to celebrate its 100th Birthday with great exhibits and awesome events, like yesterday’s World’s Largest Bake Sale!
• Happy 2nd Anniversary to Larry Ehl’s @Transpo_Issues http://www.transportationissuesdaily.com — an awesome news source for all things transportation!
• The POTUS announced his nomination for U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Mayor of Charlotte, NC s @MayorFoxx @AnthonyFoxx. A mayor that has been supportive of all forms of transportation, including the LYNX Blue Line Extension light rail transit project.
• National Train Day @NatlTrainDay is coming up! w00t! http://www.nationaltrainday.com
• Bike month is going on! http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/ (Not #Transit exactly, but cycling is a force multiplier for transit or as @ajfroggie says transit is a force multiplier for cycling; either way, bicycling is still a very important mode for our transportation community)

I needed to find a link I came across about celebrations this week, so I went to twitter. Right there on my #TransitThursday hashtag list were Justin’s tweets:

@BJustin Happy May #Holidays: @Amtrak’s 42nd BDay (1st), National #Bike Month, National #Train Day (11th), & Bike to Work Day (16th) #TransitThursday

@BJustin: Hope everybody celebrates the joy & positive impact of transportation everywhere throughout May & everyday! #TransitThursday

GREAT #TRANSIT MINDS THINK ALIKE!!!

There is really just much to celebrate in the transit world this week! Justin is right!!! While totally awesome transit and transportation-related events are happening this week and this month, we should celebrate the joy and positive impact of transportation everywhere…and not just #TransitThursday!

…EVERY DAY!

So for today’s topic:

#TransitThursday - Tell us what’s going on in YOUR community to celebrate #Transit! Share the news, the videos, the events, the announcements, the birthdays, the meetups, the pictures…whatever! Just don’t forget the hashtag #TransitThursday otherwise we can’t hear you!

Special thanks to @BJustin for inspiring today’s #TransitThursday topic!

ICYMI: Governor McCrory announced a new Strategic Mobility Funding Formula for NC this morning.

Listen to the video here:

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/2164066/events/2036881/videos/16703241

My summary based on the video presentation:

• Strategic Mobility Formula breaks funding allocation for projects into project categories 40% State 40% Regional and 20% Local. Allows all modes compete for funding
• Claims that it will create 240k jobs as compared to the 175k jobs in the current plan with the same amount of funding

• State Tiered projects

o   40% of revenue allocated to State Tiered Projects

o   “100% data driven.” Evaluates benefit-cost, e.g. reduced travel time v. project costs

o   All modes compete

o   Evaluated on existing congestion, economic competitiveness, freight & multi-modal criteria

•  Regional Tiered Projects

o   40% of revenue allocated to Regional Tiered Projects

o   Regions pair 14 divisions into 7 regions.

o   All modes compete

o   70% data driven, 30% local decision-making (MPO, RPO, etc. nominated projects)

o   Regional Tiered Projects will be evaluated on benefit-cost, connectivity, congestion, economic competitiveness & safety criteria

• Division Tiered Projects

o   Receive remainder of the money (20%)

o   Funding would be split evenly over 10 years across all 14 divisions

o   Division Projects would be evaluated 50% data / 50% local input.

o   Criteria: benefit-cost, connectivity, shoulder width? & safety

Here is a copy of the official @NCDOT press release:

https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=8105