Portland streetcar success has fueled interest elsewhere

September 1, 2010: Portland, OR - A decade ago, the Pearl District in Portland, Ore., was a dicey warehouse area. A streetcar line that opened in 2001 helped transform it into a lively neighborhood with boutiques, condos and restaurants. "It's very much a walking area, and the streetcar is a big part of that," says Jo Carter, owner of Physical Element, a clothing shop that opened in 2003 along the tracks.
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Brewing bus battle: Fancy vs. frill-free

September 1, 2010: Minneapolis - More officials are asking: Are two tiers of bus service really fair, and are affluent suburbs getting more than their share of the bucks? It's not that she hates city buses. She takes them all the time. But when she steps from the floral-scented atmosphere of the Eden Prairie station into one of the gleaming black coaches of SouthWest Transit, Lori York enters a different world than the one she encounters on Metro Transit buses.
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Study shows every 10 public transit jobs creates six more jobs in Michigan economy

September 2, 2010: Michigan - Thanks to the state, leaders of The Rapid bus system can now show voters the mass-transit system fuels the local economy and provides jobs. Timing is everything, since those same voters will soon be asked to renew and perhaps increase a tax levy. The new economic modeling study provided by the Michigan Department of Transportation shows that for every 10 jobs created in the public transit sector, six additional jobs are created in the rest of the economy.
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UTA Tries Attracting New Riders with $50,000 Free-Fare Promotion

August 25, 2010: Utah - The Utah Transit Authority has sent out 95,000 free weekly passes to homes along 10 under-utilized bus routes in Salt Lake, Davis and Utah counties. Spokesman Gerry Carpenter says UTA is trying to recruit more riders to make these routes more efficient.
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Safety playbook may be lifesaver

August 25, 2010: New Jersey - North Jersey firefighters, who extricate crash victims, extinguish car fires and clean up fuel spills on state highways - all within feet of fast-moving traffic - are praising the state's first "playbook" for emergency responders. The guidelines address procedures for alerting motorists to accident scenes, making sure emergency workers are visible to motorists and assessing the severity of an incident.
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WMATA plans station repairs to boost safety

August 25, 2010: Washington, DC - The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will replace a track switch and complete several other projects between the Takoma and Glenmont Metrorail stations in an effort to improve safety. The track switch replacement was recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board.
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Quality public transportation = quality of life, APTA report says

August 18, 2010: People who live in communities with "high-quality" public transportation drive less, exercise more, live longer and are generally healthier than residents of communities that lack quality public transit, according to a report issued by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
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WMATA pledges to create board safety committee

August 18, 2010: Washington, DC - Yesterday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) board pledged to recreate a board safety committee and revise WMATA's mission statement and board procedures to "underscore the authority's commitment to safety," WMATA officials said in a prepared statement.
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