Hopping a Train

Kerouac's On the Road came to mind the other night when I was hanging out with a local film maker who told me the story of the old Floridian line that went from Chicago through Nashville and eventually to Miami. I was five years old when Amtrak eliminated the route in 1979. Check out the video of his recent trip and more of this amazing story at www.railnashville.com

Untitled from saul burke on Vimeo.

- Dave Keiser

Take Action: Transportation bill moving fast!

Congress is about to pour billions of dollars into transportation. But we can't just throw money at the problem the same way we have been - we need smart investments.

The U.S. hasn't had a vision for transportation policy in decades. We've been trying to build our way out of a congested and inefficient system with no accountability and no actual plan to link our roads, trains, busses, bikeways and pedestrian-friendly streets. But the new transportation bill released this week needs to change all that.

Fill out the form at T4America.org to tell your member of Congress to ensure that our country's transportation investments strengthen our economy, our environment and our health.

Thank you - Dave

Music City Market in MCC now open!

The Music City Market opened this week in Music City Central. They offer a variety of beverages and light snacks to get you through your commute. It is conveniently located near the 4th & Charlotte entrance, so stop by and check it out.

I was the 20th customer!

Betsy.

Where is the Transportation Bill?

I have been following Transportation for America since last fall after I read Growing Cooler by Reid Ewing et al and connected the dots of how the federal transportation bill that is approved every SIX years really affects the state and local government level. We are currently working under SAFETEA-LU that guides how our fuel tax is appropriated to transportation projects. We have being working under these guidelines for way too long and Oberstar is scheduled to release his vision of CLEAN TEA to take it's place any day now.

I found out from his Twitter feed that there is going to be a press conference tomorrow June 18th at 10:00AM central time.

Public Hearing on Proposed Budget

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday June 2nd at 6:30 p.m., the Metro Council has scheduled a public hearing on Metro's operating budget for the new fiscal year. The budget includes funding for mass transit. If you believe mass transit is important to Nashville's future, please come out and voice your opinion or write your council person.

Momentum Building for Transit Improvements

On May 20th, the Tennessee General Assembly approved legislation that authorizes regional transit authorities to seek a dedicated source of funding for transit operating costs. Any actual revenue source would require approval by either local governing bodies or the voters in a referendum.

Passage of this legislation is a landmark event in the effort to expand transportation options in Middle Tennessee. Only systems with a dedicated source of funding for operating costs are eligible for federal New Starts funds for system capital construction costs.