MAP-21 mapped out

After 33 months of wrangling, Congress finally agreed late last week on a transportation package to replace SAFETEA-LU. It's called MAP-21 -- Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act -- and will direct $105 billion worth of federal surface transportation funding for the next 27 months, through October 2014.

MAP-21 addresses multiple issues. Although there is general relief that something has been passed, not everyone is happy with the result. For summaries and perspectives, try the following:

• Easy-to-digest summary posted by a Washington, DC blogger
• Cheat Sheet part 1 & part 2 and MAP-21 Learning Center supplied by Transportation Issues Daily (TID)
• US Department of Transportation MAP-21 web portal
• Quotes from Congressional leaders (TID) about the compromise
• Joint Explanatory Statement from Congress describing the final bill negotiations
• Chart comparing final Conference Report version to original Senate and House versions (Politico)
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimate
• The Secretary of Transportation says that "this is a good bill that will create jobs, strengthen our transportation system, and grow our economy"
• National Journal asks transportation experts whether it's "an early Christmas present or a lump of coal"
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy suggests the bill is "a step back"
• Transportation for America says it's "a clear step backwards"

More opinions and perspectives are bound to be issued in the coming days, weeks, and months as the details of the package are poured over and the implications are put into play once signed by President Obama.


What's your take?

EPA Releases Guide to Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports a State and Local Climate and Energy Program that provides technical assistance, analytical tools, and outreach support to state, local, and tribal governments. The following information was delivered recently via email listserv: 

EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities has published a Guide to Sustainable Transportation PerformanceMeasures. The guide describes opportunities for transportation agencies to incorporate environmental, economic, and social sustainability into decision-making through the use of performance measures. Performance measures allow decision-makers to quickly observe the effects of a proposed transportation plan or project, or to monitor trends in transportation system performance over time. The guide describes 12 performance measures that can readily be used in transportation decision-making, and for each, it presents possible metrics, summarizes analytical methods and data sources, and illustrates its use by one or more transportation agencies.

The Guide to Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures is available at http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/transpo_performance.htm.