Latest news with #AmericanPublicTransportationAssociation
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers make troubling discovery about dangerous health issue with bus stops: 'Like an oven'
While transportation accounts for over 20% of planet-warming pollution, public transit reduces it and provides a more affordable and safe alternative for commuting. More than two-thirds of public transit users walk to transit stations, according to the American Public Transportation Association, but extreme temperatures can make getting to these stations difficult. Shelters at transit stations are designed to protect users from extreme temperatures and weather. However, a study at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston discovered some of these shelters worsen the problem, increasing temperatures and transit users' risk for heat stress. The study measured wet bulb globe temperature –– which combines air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation –– in shaded and unshaded areas at bus stops in Houston. While shade reduced WBGT, one type of shelter increased temperatures. The ground in this type of shelter, when unshaded, was about 5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the ground outside the shelter, the researchers discovered. These types of shelters contained aluminum frames and translucent acrylic walls, which "trapped radiation inside the shelter" and made them "like an oven," researcher Kevin Lanza said, per Hot temperatures at bus stops increase bus riders' risk for heat stress, which includes "a combination of factors, not just the temperature," according to Lanza, and can develop into life-threatening heat stroke.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
SacRT receives award for Bus Stop Enforcement Program
( — The American Public Transportation Association awarded the Sacramento Regional Transit District a prestigious Gold Award for public safety for its Bus Stop Enforcement Program, SacRT said. Video Above: Sacramento becomes the first city in the U.S. to use bus-mounted cameras to enforce bike lane rules The program was launched in partnership with the City of Sacramento with the goal of improving accessibility, safety and transit reliability across the region, according to officials. With the use of AI-powered camera technology, vehicles illegally parked in bus stops are detected, helping keep bus zones clear to create a safer environment for boarding passengers, said SacRT said. Meadowview Certified Farmers Market reopening announced 'Building on the program's success, enforcement was recently extended to bike lanes,' SacRT officials said. 'As of April 14, 2025, warning notices are being issued to vehicles blocking bike lanes, with citations to follow beginning June 13, 2025.' Moe information about the bus program can be found on SacRT's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawsuits take aim at voter-approved transit projects worth billions
Opponents are increasingly using legal challenges to block or delay major public transit expansions — even after voters approve them. (Getty Images) Opponents are turning to legal challenges to try to block or delay major public transit expansions — even after voters approve them. Recent lawsuits in Arizona, Tennessee and Texas have attempted to slow voted-passed projects. In Nashville, Tennessee, voters passed a $3.1 billion referendum in November to raise the city sales tax half a cent and fund expanded bus service, pedestrian improvements and 54 miles of 'all-access' transit corridors. But a Tennessee court, while upholding most of the project, ruled last week that the city could not use the funds raised to purchase land for affordable housing or parks. The ruling affects only 1% of the total revenue, the court said. But it was a signal that even well-funded, voter-backed transit efforts are vulnerable to some legal roadblocks. After voters in Maricopa County, Arizona, last year approved an extension of a half-cent sales tax for transportation, the county GOP sued to try to invalidate the results, arguing the vote didn't meet a 60% supermajority. In Austin, Texas, a 2024 class-action lawsuit attempted to block the city from collecting property taxes unless it excludes a tax approved by voters in 2020 to fund Project Connect — a major transit expansion. But a judge dismissed the lawsuit late last year. No fare! Free bus rides raise questions of fairness, viability. Public support for expanded transit is surging across the United States. In 2024 alone, voters approved 46 of 53 transit-related ballot measures, unlocking over $25 billion in new funding for transit projects and improvements, according to the American Public Transportation Association. But despite support at the ballot box, cities often face legal, zoning and political barriers. Nashville, in particular, is becoming a case study in both momentum and resistance to transit investment and development, according to researchers at the Urban Institute. 'There's been a sea change,' said Gabe Samuels, a research analyst in the Housing and Communities Division at the Urban Institute. 'Nashville had two failed transit referenda in the past decade. This time, it passed decisively. Voters want alternatives to sprawl and traffic.' But transit-oriented development — the strategy of clustering housing and businesses near high-quality transit — is often hindered by outdated zoning, Samuels and colleague Yonah Freemark told Stateline. According to an Urban Institute study, more than 90% of Nashville's residential land is zoned for single- or two-family homes, a pattern common in Southern and Midwestern cities. That zoning limits the density needed to support high transit ridership, the report said. Currently, only 13% of Nashville's housing lies within a quarter-mile, what the report calls easy walking distance, of its planned transit corridors. 'You're investing millions — sometimes billions — into transit systems,' said Freemark. 'If you're not thinking about land use and density alongside that, you're wasting the opportunity.' Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira can be reached at rsequeira@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
San Joaquin Regional Transit District receives five national awards
( — The American Public Transportation Association granted the San Joaquin Region Transit District five national awards for its leadership in safety, security and marketing communications, according to RTD officials. Video Above: SacRT Flex begins service in the Sacramento area In recognition of RTD's efforts to create initiatives that have successfully addressed safety or security program areas, the agency was awarded two Gold Awards in bus safety and bus security. According to officials, RTD reduced workplace injuries by 40%, expanded its Safety Department, integrated pedestrian detection systems, improved collision metrics, implemented the Respect the Ride campaign and enhanced employee training for organizational safety. The agency also won three first-place AdWheel Awards for excellence in marketing and communications, including the launch of an operator recruitment campaign, the organization of an employee appreciation event and the creation of the Rosa Parks Tribute Bus Wrap. City of Sacramento announces water egg hunt for Easter 'These awards reflect the hard work and dedication of our entire team,' said RTD CEO Alex Clifford. 'We made safety our top priority, and we're equally proud of the creative ways our Marketing team engages the public, celebrates employees, and shares the impact of public transit.' More information can be found on San Joaquin's RTD website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Sen. Mark Kelly aims to ease licensing for school bus drivers to alleviate national shortage
Sen. Mark Kelly is advocating for a federal change that could help alleviate the nationwide school bus driver shortage by helping prospective drivers get behind the wheel sooner. The shortage has forced school districts across Arizona to consolidate or add to existing bus routes, leading to delays or long wait times for students. To attract more drivers, districts have focused on hosting school bus driver hiring events or bumping up pay. Current federal rules require commercial driver's license holders to be able to identify engine parts and functions. The "Driving Forward Act," introduced by Kelly, D-Ariz., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on April 3, would permanently eliminate mandatory 'under-the-hood' testing for new school bus drivers. "This bipartisan bill cuts red tape to help more people become school bus drivers, directly addressing driver shortages,' said Kelly in a press release. Nationwide, there are 12% fewer school bus drivers available than before the pandemic, according to an Economic Policy Institute study. Kelly's office said the number of school bus drivers in Arizona has dropped by more than half since the COVID-19 pandemic. Cutting under-the-hood testing would not jeopardize students' safety, according to Kelly's office, because school bus drivers must remain on the bus with students. If a bus were to break down, trained mechanics would run diagnostics and complete repairs. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires licensed commercial drivers to be able to identify engine parts and their functions, which typically adds three to four days of training to the process of obtaining a commercial driver's license. An overwhelming 92.3% of transit agencies see "under-the-hood content as either not at allrelevant or only somewhat relevant for their operators," according to a study from the American Public Transportation Association. "All agencies have separate maintenance workers who are responsible for routine bus maintenance and breakdowns," the study said. "Operators are never responsible for those functions. Some agencies openly tell candidates that they are required to learn this information only to pass the CDL exam and that they will never use it again." In 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released a report concluding that under-the-hood exemptions would likely not impact overall safety. That same year, the U.S. Department of Transportation allowed for the temporary waiver of the requirement, with eight states taking advantage of the exemption so far. Because of the exemption, over 1,200 new school bus drivers have been licensed, according to the National School Transportation Association, which supported the new bipartisan bill. The National Association for Pupil Transportation previously opposed these exemptions but has endorsed the bipartisan bill, as have the School Superintendent Association and the National Rural Education Association. While its proponents hope this bill can provide some relief for schools amid the driver shortage, the under-the-hood testing requirement isn't the main thing keeping people from driving school buses. The Economic Policy Institute found that the bus driver shortage is largely due to low pay. Weekly earnings across all workers saw a 5% increase since 2019, but school bus drivers' earnings fell by about 2.8%. Recently, Chandler Unified School District voted to increase bus driver pay, hoping to retain its existing pool of drivers. When the district met with its school bus drivers to understand their needs, drivers made it clear that better compensation was their highest priority. Other districts in Arizona have followed suit. Peoria Unified School District voted to bump the starting hourly rate for school bus drivers by $5 to $24 an hour. Scottsdale Unified School District planned to host a school bus driver hiring event on April 12, promoting competitive wages. And Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District has offered to pay for commercial driver's license training and encouraged teachers and parents to start driving. Instead of demanding higher wages, the bill aims to make it easier for new bus drivers to start earning their salary quicker, and in turn provide more students with available bus routes. 'Kids in Arizona deserve to get to school safe and on time,' Kelly said. Coverage of education solutions on and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation's Arizona Community Collaborative Fund. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sen. Kelly aims to ease licensing for school bus drivers. Here's why
