NATIONAL NEWS

Journal of Commerce: Port Group Sends Congress Ideas for Jobs Bill
http://www.joc.com/node/415274
The head of the American Association of Port Authorities urged leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives to help boost industry jobs by bolstering some ongoing federal programs and tackling a few key tax concerns... "By providing additional funds for port-related and freight transportation infrastructure, we can modernize maritime transportation and provide jobs for both today and tomorrow," Nagle said in his letter to the congressional leadership.

Press Release: New Study Recommends Climate Adaptation Policies for Transportation Infrastructure
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-recommends-climate-adaptation-policies-for-transportation-infrastructure-79304787.html
A new white paper released today asserts that short-term efforts to increase the transportation system's resilience will reduce long-term costs from climate change and proposes federal policy options for the Administration and Congress to address the impacts of climate change on the transportation sector. A significant amount of the nation's roads, rail lines, and airports are located in coastal zones most vulnerable to climate change. As the world community gathers at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to discuss climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, the study highlights needed research on the predicted impacts of climate change on transportation to address this growing problem.

STATE NEWS

DC Streetsblog: Bus vs. Rail: Transit’s Quiet Culture Clash?
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/12/14/bus-vs-rail-transits-quiet-culture-clash/
The question of running buses or building rail has preoccupied transit planners in many an American town, with Maryland's Montgomery County being the latest locality to choose between trains and bus rapid transit (BRT), which tends to be the less expensive option.  But another, far thornier aspect of the bus versus rail debate has made its way into the public dialogue, giving fodder to transit-minded bloggers from Matt Yglesias to Atrios: Is there a cultural bias against buses? The issue, fraught with social equity implications, made its way into a debate on conservatives and transit held today by Transportation for America.

Houston Chronicle: Budget cuts, new police chief top Parker's agenda
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6768758.html
...The Metropolitan Transit Agency of Harris County, she said, is another governmental body due for a shake-up. As mayor, she will appoint five of Metro's nine board members and will, to a great extent, be able to control its direction.  Parker said public skepticism and concerns about Metro have come about largely because of the difficulties the agency has faced as it expanded to include light rail, push commuter rail and fight over funding with large amounts of money at stake.  Add to that six years without a new light rail line “and the way Metro moved forward in terms of planning the new routes and working their way through neighborhoods,” the agency has “left a lot of anger and bruised feelings” that must be dealt with immediately, she said.  “Metro could have done a much better job of openness, transparency, accountability.”

News Time: Transportation secretary praises Connecticut on high-speed rail efforts
http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Transportation-secretary-praises-Connecticut-on-286326.php
As Connecticut competes with other states for a chunk of $8 billion in competitive stimulus grants set aside to invest in high-speed rail lines, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has written to encourage Gov. M. Jodi Rell and other New England leaders to continue their recent efforts to plan a high-speed rail network throughout the region.

Chicago Sun Times:  Modern train service slowed by freight
http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1937576,CST-NWS-ride14.article
High speed rail is a glamorous idea -- it's fun to imagine a train streaking through the cornfields from Chicago to St. Louis in four hours.  Less glamorous are some of the fixes that need to be made to Chicago's notoriously slow freight rail system. Talk about projects like "signalize interlocking" and "grade separation," and eyes glaze over.  But the promise of faster passenger rail is inextricably linked to the down-and-dirty business of freight. To make passenger and commuter trains move faster, you have to get the boxcars out of the way.

AccessNorthGA.com: Study shows support in Gwinnett for light rail transit
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=225479
A new study finds most people in Gwinnett County would support a sales tax dedicated to the development of a Light Rail Transit (LRT) System in the county... After examining heavy rail, light rail, and streetcar technologies, light rail was found to be the most cost-effective and efficient transit option. County-wide polls have consistently shown that residents see traffic congestion as the county’s biggest issue and with the majority favoring transportation alternatives such as rail to help mobility.

Birmingham News: Birmingham transit money put on hold
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/12/birmingham_transit_money_put_o.html
The $9 million promised for transit system improvement will have to wait until the city knows just how much money has been collected to meet that commitment.  Acting Birmingham Mayor Roderick Royal said his team is working to determine how much will be collected in business license fees before the money is allocated. And it might not be a full $9 million, he said.