Andrea Bernstein

President Obama speaking at an auto plant earlier this year. (photo: BarackObama.com)

President Barack Obama is getting pointed on the transportation bill.

Speaking at the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Department Conference today, Obama whacked the Republican-led House of Representatives for "refusing to pass a bipartisan bill that could guarantee work for millions of construction workers.  Already passed the Senate.  Ready to go, ready to put folks back to work.  Used to be the most -- the easiest bill to pass in Washington used to be getting roads and bridges built, because it’s not like only Democrats are allowed to use these things.  Everybody is permitted.  (Laughter.)  Everybody needs them.  (Applause.)

"So this makes no sense.  Congress needs to do the right thing.  Pass this bill right away.  It shouldn’t be that hard.  It shouldn’t be that hard.  Not everything should be subject to thinking about the next election instead of thinking about the next generation."

While Obama spent a good deal of time this fall criticizing Congress for failing to pass a jobs bill, these are some of his most pointed remarks to date on the transportation bill, and they drew boos (for the Republicans) from the union crowd.

"As a share of the economy, Europe invests more than twice what we do in infrastructure; China about four times as much," the President said. "Are we going to sit back and let other countries build the newest airports and the fastest railroads and the most modern schools?"

The President left the stage to thunderous applause, so we may be hearing more of this.

Here's the full transcript:

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey!  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Everybody, please have a seat.  (Applause.)  Thank you, guys.  Everybody, take a seat.  Well, thank you, Sean, for that outstanding introduction. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Four more years!  Four more years! 

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughter.)  I'll take it.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Well, it is good to be back among friends.  The last time I was here we -- was Saturday night.  (Laughter.)  And they tell me I did okay.  But I want to not only thank Sean for his extraordinary leadership; I want to acknowledge all the other presidents who are on stage for what they do each and every day on behalf of not just their members, but on behalf of all working people.  I'm proud of that.  (Applause.) 

I want to thank my good friend, Tim Kaine, who is here and is a friend of labor -- (applause) -- the next United States senator from the great Commonwealth of Virginia. 

And obviously, we come here at a time where -- I just want to repeat my condolences to everybody in the building and construction trades on the passing of Mark Ayers.  Mark was a tremendous leader.  He was a good friend.  His commitment to the labor movement and to working people will leave a mark for years to come.  And my thoughts and prayers are with his family.  But I know that Sean is going to do an outstanding job, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.  So congratulations.  (Applause.)

So it's good to be back in front of all of you.  It's always an honor to be with folks who get up every day and work real jobs -- (laughter) -- and every day fight for America's workers.  You represent the latest in a long, proud line of men and women who built this country from the bottom up.  That's who you are.  (Applause.)  It was workers like you who led us westward.  It was workers like you who pushed us skyward.  It was your predecessors who put down the hard hats and helped us defeat fascism.  And when that was done, you kept on building --highways that we drive on, and the houses we live in, and the schools where our children learn.  And you established the foundation of what it means to be a proud American.

And along the way, unions like yours made sure that everybody had a fair shake, everybody had a fair shot.  You helped build the greatest middle class that we've ever seen.  You believed that prosperity shouldn’t be reserved just for a privileged few; it should extend all the way from the boardroom all the way down to the factory floor.  That's what you believe.  (Applause.)

Time and again, you stood up for the idea that hard work should pay off; responsibility should be rewarded.  When folks do the right thing, they should be able to make it here in America.  And because you did, America became home of the greatest middle class the world has ever known.  You helped make that possible -- not just through your organizing but how you lived; looking after your families, looking out for your communities.  You’re what America is about.

And so sometimes when I listen to the political debates, it seems as if people have forgotten American progress has always been driven by American workers.  And that’s especially important to remember today. 

The last decade has been tough on everybody.  But the men and women of the building and construction trades have suffered more than most.  Since the housing bubble burst, millions of your brothers and sisters have had to look for work.  Even more have had to struggle to keep the work coming in.  And that makes absolutely no sense at a time when there is so much work to be done.

I don’t have to tell you we’ve got bridges and roads all over this country in desperate need of repair.  Our highways are clogged with traffic.  Our railroads are no longer the fastest in the world.  Our skies are congested, our airports are the busiest on the planet.  All of this costs families and businesses billions of dollars a year.  That drags down our entire economy.

And the worst part of it is that we could be doing something about it.  I think about what my grandparents’ generation built:  the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Interstate Highway System.  That's what we do.  We build.  There was a time where we would never accept the notion that some other country has better roads than us, and some other country has better airports than us.  I don't know about you, but I’m chauvinistic.  I want America to have the best stuff.  I want us to be doing the building, not somebody else.  (Applause.)  We should be having -- (applause) -- people should be visiting us from all over the world.  They should be visiting us from all over the world and marveling at what at what we’ve done. 

That kind of unbridled, can-do spirit -- that’s what made America an economic superpower.  And now, it’s up to us to continue that tradition, to give our businesses access to the best roads and airports and high-speed rail and Internet networks.  It’s up to us to make sure our kids are learning in state-of-the-art schools.  It’s our turn to do big things.  It is our turn to do big things.

     But here’s the thing -- as a share of the economy, Europe invests more than twice what we do in infrastructure; China about four times as much.  Are we going to sit back and let other countries build the newest airports and the fastest railroads and the most modern schools, at a time when we’ve got private construction companies all over the world -- or all over the country -- and millions of workers who are ready and willing to do that work right here in the United States of America?

American workers built this country, and now we need American workers to rebuild this country.  That’s what we need.  (Applause.)  It is time we take some of the money that we spend on wars, use half of it to pay down our debt, and then use the rest of it to do some nation-building right here at home.  (Applause.)  There is work to be done.  There are workers ready to do it, and you guys can help lead the way.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We can do it!

THE PRESIDENT:  We can do it.  We’ve done it before.  And the truth is, the only way we can do it on a scale that’s needed is with some bold action from Congress.  They’re the ones with the purse strings.  That’s why, over the last year, I’ve sent Congress a whole series of jobs bills to put people to work, to put your members back to work.  (Applause.)  Again and again, I’ve said now is the time do this; interest rates are low, construction workers are out of work.  Contractors are begging for work, and the work needs to be done.  Let’s do it.  And time after time, the Republicans have gotten together and they’ve said no. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I sent them a jobs bill that would have put hundreds of thousands of construction workers back to work repairing our roads, our bridges, schools, transit systems, along with saving the jobs of cops and teachers and firefighters, creating a new tax cut for businesses.  They said no. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  I went to the Speaker’s hometown, stood under a bridge that was crumbling.  Everybody acknowledges it needs to be rebuilt.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Let him drive on it! (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Maybe he doesn’t drive anymore.  (Laughter.)  Maybe he doesn’t notice how messed up it was.  (Laughter.)  They still said no. 

There are bridges between Kentucky and Ohio where some of the key Republican leadership come from, where folks are having to do detours an extra hour, hour and a half drive every day on their commute because these bridges don’t work.  They still said no.  So then I said, well, maybe they couldn’t handle the whole bill in one big piece.  Let’s break it up.  Maybe it’s just too much for them.

So I sent them just the part of the bill that would have created these construction jobs.  They said no.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  We’re seeing it again right now.  As we speak, the House Republicans are refusing to pass a bipartisan bill that could guarantee work for millions of construction workers.  Already passed the Senate.  Ready to go, ready to put folks back to work.  Used to be the most -- the easiest bill to pass in Washington used to be getting roads and bridges built, because it’s not like only Democrats are allowed to use these things.  Everybody is permitted.  (Laughter.)  Everybody needs them.  (Applause.) 

So this makes no sense.  Congress needs to do the right thing.  Pass this bill right away.  It shouldn’t be that hard.  It shouldn’t be that hard.  Not everything should be subject to thinking about the next election instead of thinking about the next generation.  (Applause.)  Not everything should be subject to politics instead of thinking about all those families out there and all your membership that need work -- that don’t just support their own families, but support entire communities.

So we’re still waiting for Congress.  But we can’t afford to just wait for Congress.  You can’t afford to wait.  So where Congress won’t act, I will.  That’s why I’ve taken steps on my own.  (Applause.)  That's why I’ve taken steps on my own and speeded up loans and speeded up competitive grants for projects across the country that will support thousands of jobs.  That’s why we’re cutting through the red tape and launching a lot of existing projects faster and more efficiently.

Because the truth is, government can be smarter.  A whole bunch of projects at the state level sometimes are ready to go, but they get tangled up in all kinds of bureaucracy and red tape.  So what we’ve said is if there’s red tape that's stopping a project and stopping folks from getting to work right now, let’s put that aside.  

Because the point is, infrastructure shouldn’t be a partisan issue.  Investments in better roads and safer bridges -- these have never been made by just one party or another because they benefit all of us.  They lead to a strong, durable economy.  Ronald Reagan once said that rebuilding our infrastructure is “common sense” -- “an investment in tomorrow that we need to make today.”  Ronald Reagan said that, that great socialist -- Ronald Reagan.  (Laughter.)  Couldn’t get through a Republican primary these days. 

The folks up on Capitol Hill right now, they seem to have exactly the opposite view.  They voted to cut spending on transportation infrastructure by almost 30 percent.  That means instead of putting more construction workers back on the job, they want to lay more off.  Instead of breaking ground on new projects, they want to let existing projects grind to a halt.  Instead of making the investments we need to get ahead, they’re willing to let us all fall further behind.

Now, when you ask them, well, why are you doing this -- other than the fact that I’m proposing it?  (Laughter.)  They’ll say it’s because we need to pay down our deficit.  And you know what, the deficit is a real problem.  All of us recognize in our own lives and our own families, we try to live within our means.  So we got to deal with the debt and we got to deal with the deficit.

And their argument might actually fly if they didn’t just vote to spend $4.6 trillion on lower tax rates -– that’s with a T, trillion -– on top of the $1 trillion they’d spend on tax cuts for people making more than $250,000 a year.  So they're willing to spend over $5 trillion to give tax breaks to folks like me who don't need them and weren’t even asking for them at a time when this country needs to be rebuilt.  That gives you a sense of their priorities.

Think about that.  Republicans in Congress would rather put fewer of you to work rebuilding America than ask millionaires and billionaires to live without massive new tax cuts on top of the ones they’ve already gotten.

Now, what do you think would make the economy stronger?  Giving another tax break to every millionaire and billionaire in the country?  Or rebuilding our roads and our bridges and our broadband networks that will help our businesses sell goods all around the world?  It’s pretty clear.  This choice is not a hard one.  (Applause.)

Of course, we need to bring down our deficits in the long term.  But if we’re smart about it, we also will be making and can afford to make the investments that will help our country and the American people in the short term.  Not only will it put people back to work, but if the economy is growing -- look, every time one of your members is on a job, that means they’ve got more money in their pockets.  That means that they’re going to the restaurant, and that restaurant owner suddenly is doing a little bit better.  They’re going to Home Depot to buy some stuff, and suddenly Home Depot is doing a little bit better. 

This is a no-brainer.  And, by the way, when everybody is doing better and the economy is growing, lo and behold, that actually helps to bring down the deficit, helps us pay off our debt.  Previous generations understood this.  Apparently, right now, Republicans disagree. 

And what makes it worse -- it would be bad enough if they just had these set of bad ideas, but they’ve also set their sights on dismantling unions like yours.  I mean, if you ask them, what’s their big economic plan in addition to tax cuts for rich folks, it’s dismantling your unions.  After all you’ve done to build and protect the middle class, they make the argument you’re responsible for the problems facing the middle class.  Somehow, that makes sense to them.

That’s not what I believe.  I believe our economy is stronger when workers are getting paid good wages and good benefits.  That’s what I believe.  (Applause.)  That’s what I believe.  I believe the economy is stronger when collective bargaining rights are protected.  I believe all of us are better off when we’ve got broad-based prosperity that grows outwards from a strong middle class.  I believe when folks try and take collective bargaining rights away by passing so-called “right to work” laws that might also be called “right to work for less,” laws -- (applause) -- that’s not about economics, that’s about politics.  That’s about politics.

That’s why we’ve reversed harmful decisions designed to undermine those rights.  That’s why we passed the Fair Pay Act to help stop pay discrimination.  That’s why we’ve supported Davis-Bacon.  That’s why we reversed the ban on Project Labor Agreements, because we believe in those things as part of a strategy to rebuild America.  (Applause.)  

And as long as I’m your President, I’m going to keep it up.  (Applause.)  I am going to keep it up -- because the right to organize and negotiate fair pay for hard work, that’s the right of every American, from the CEO in the corner office all the way to the worker who built that office.

And every day, you’re hearing from the other side whether it’s the idea that tax cuts for the wealthy are more important than investing for our future, or the notion we should pursue anti-worker policies in the hopes that somehow unions are going to crumble.  It’s all part of that same old philosophy -- tired, worn-out philosophy that says if you’ve already made it, we’ll protect you; if you haven’t made it yet, well, tough luck, you’re on your own.

That misreads America.  That's not what America is about.  The American story has never been about what we can do on our own.  It’s about what we do together.  In the construction industry, nobody gets very far by themselves.  I'm the first to admit -- I’ve got to be careful here because I just barely can hammer a -- (laughter) -- nail into the wall, and my wife is not impressed with my skills when it comes to fixing up the house.  (Laughter.)  Right now, fortunately, I'm in a rental, so -- (laughter) -- I don't end up having to do a lot of work.  (Laughter and applause.) 

But here is what I know about the trades:  If you’ve got folks who aren't pulling together, doing their own thing, things don’t work.  But if you've got enough people with the same goal, pulling in the same direction, looking at the same game plan, you can build something that will stand long after you're gone.  That's how a Hoover Dam or a Golden Gate Bridge or a Empire State Building gets built -- folks working together.  We can do more together than we can do on our own.

That's why unions were built -- understood workers on their own wouldn't have the same ability to look after themselves and their families as they could together.  And what’s true for you is true for America.  We can’t settle for a country where just a few people do really well and everybody else struggles to get by.  We've got to build an economy where everybody has got a fair shot, and everybody does their fair share, and everybody plays by the same set of rules.  We can’t just cut our way to prosperity.  We need to fight for an economy that helps everybody -– one built on things like American education, and American energy, and American manufacturing, and a kind of world-class infrastructure that makes it all possible.

Now, these have been some tough years we've been in.  I know a lot of your membership can get discouraged, and they can feel like nobody is looking out for them, and they can get frustrated and they -- sure, it's easy to give up on Washington.  I know that.  But we've been through tougher times before.  Your unions have been through tougher times before.  And we’ve always been able to overcome it, because we don't quit. 

I know we can get there, because here in America we don't give up.  We’ve been through tougher times before, and we’ve made it through because we didn't quit, and we didn't throw in the towel.  We rolled up our sleeves.  We fired up our engines, and we remembered a fundamental truth about our country:  Here in America, we rise or fall together as one nation, as one people.

     It doesn't matter where you come from, what you look like, what your last name is.  It doesn't matter whether your folks came from Poland, or came from Italy or came from Mexico.  One people -- strong, united, firing all cylinders.  That's the America I know.  That's the America I believe in.  That's the America we can rebuild together.  (Applause.)

     So if you’re willing to join us in this project of rebuilding America, I want you to know -- when I was running for this office, I told people I’m not perfect.  I’m not a perfect man.  Michelle can tell you that.  (Laughter.)  I’m not a perfect President.  But I made a promise I’d always tell you where I stood.  I’d always tell you what I thought, what I believed in, and most importantly I would wake up every single day working as hard as I know how to make your lives a little bit better.

     And for all that we’ve gone through over the last three and a half, four years, I have kept that promise.  I have kept that promise.  (Applause.)  And I’m still thinking about you.  I’m still thinking about you, and I still believe in you.  And if you join me, we’ll remind the world just why it is that America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)

Thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Airfares in 2011 were the highest on record at an average of $364, up 8.3 percent from 2010.

That's according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which released its fourth quarter data today.   In the fourth quarter, average domestic airfares rose to $368, up 10 percent from a similar period in 2010.  Cincinnati had the highest average fare, while Atlantic City, NJ had the lowest.

In inflation-adjusted dollars, the BTS says, this is not the most expensive year ever.  2000 was, with inflation-adjusted fares in 1995 dollars of $300, compared to 2011's $247.

Here's the full BTS press release, with lots of links:

And the winner is..."Apple Green." Some weeks ago we broke the news that the new taxis would be green, and had you imagine what color you'd like for the new livery cabs that can be hailed on the streets in the outer boros.

The idea being, they have to be distinct from yellow cabs, and black cars, so you know right away they are licensed to pick up street hails.

You picked electric lime.  (Though, in fairness, we didn't offer apple green. Silly us!)

And here's the city's pick:

The city's new outer-boro street hails, inspired by the color of Granny Smith apples (photo: Brigid Bergin/WNYC)

Close-up of the new livery cab color (photo; WNYC/Brigid Bergin)

The Enterprise arrives in New York (photo: Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

Here's our first picture, from the WNYC Newsroom -- now send us yours!

The Space Shuttle Enterprise has been flown into New York, and lots of you took super-cool photos.   You can see tons of great shots here and upload your photos here.

(Washington, DC -- Michael Pope, WAMU) Leaders in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria in the Washington, DC suburbs  are moving in different directions along a high-capacity transit corridor on U.S. Route 1, and it's causing some tension among lawmakers in Alexandria.

Two years ago, Arlington asked Alexandria to join an environmental analysis for the Crystal City-Potomac Yard transit corridor. Arlington would pay $2.4 million, and Alexandria would add $1 million. Together, the neighboring jurisdictions would save money by combining efforts. Now, Arlington County is backing out of the deal, leaving Alexandria holding the bag.

"I think in fairness, Arlington should have had the courtesy of saying, 'Let's have a sit-down talk about where we are, what our dilemmas are, what our challengers are,'" says Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille. "That hasn't happened.”

Euille is now calling for a joint meeting between members of the Arlington County Board and Alexandria City Council to discuss the future of the transit corridor. At issue is $40-120 million worth of federal funds, which city officials say would be jeopardized without the study.

"If we are going to continue on this alternative, I think Arlington definitely needs to be on board because they've kind of gotten us to this point, and they can’t just walk away," says Alexandria Council member Frank Fannon.

Alexandria Council member Alicia Hughes agrees.

"I think that it is a show of bad faith on the part of the Arlington County Board to have come to the city of Alexandria and ask us enter something with them, and now that we've done it and it's time to take the next step, lo and behold it's like if you looked under a rock you could not find them," Hughes says.

Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes did not return phone calls, although she issued a written statement along with Mayor Euille saying the two jurisdictions have different strategies. A spokeswoman for the Arlington County government declined to answer questions.

Sam Schwartz, in a 2011 dramatization of what East River Bridge tolls would have amounted to if they'd been in effect since the bridges were open. (photo Jim O'Grady)

Former New York City Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz doesn't want you to call his fair plan "congestion pricing."  Speaking on the Brian Lehrer show today (end of the segment) -- the last of four segments discussing his fair plan to reorganize tolls and fund transit -- Schwartz said he was disappointed to hear Cuomo's response to his plan, but thinks it's a matter of framing.

Here's the exchange:

Brian Lehrer: "We've had a great caller response all month Sam, you've gotten good press, from media outlets ranging from the New York Times to National Review on line.  But in the real world you would need Albany's support. I'm sure you're aware that Governor Cuomo was asked about your plan in a press conference just Tuesday of this week. He was asked if he had seen "Sam Schwartz's revised congestion pricing plan."

And he said this:

Cuomo: I have not seen it. We've talked about congestion pricing  for many years, we've tried to pass it in the past, it hasn't passed, i don't know that  anything has happened to change that dynamic.  I just don't know that you have the political support to pass it."

BL: Were you disappointed to hear that, Sam -- that he hadn't even heard about it?

Schwartz: The Governor I'm sure has read about it.  It certainly got a lot of coverage but when you frame it as congestion pricing alone and not as correcting the pricing scheme that you have in New York --

BL: That was the problem.  I was annoyed.  Because it was framed as having seen Sam Schwartz's congestion pricing plan, rather than Sam Schwartz's innovative overall, the imaginative plan for the next 50 years of New York City and vicinity maybe he would have responded a little differently if it wasn't just asked as congestion pricing plan.

Schwartz: Exactly Brian, and that's how I felt.  That's why you'll rarely see me using the words congestion pricing.

Walkscore map of all the places you can get to in 30 minutes from Grand Central Terminal

Walkscore, the group that tells you how easy it is to get places from your home on foot, now tells you which cities in the U.S. have the best transit. The score calculates how well each block is served by transit, and then puts that into an algorithm which aggregates the whole city.

Here are the scores:

Ranking:
(1) New York (Transit Score: 81)
(2) San Francisco (Transit Score: 80)
(3) Boston (Transit Score: 74)
(4) Washington, DC (Transit Score: 69)
(5) Philadelphia (Transit Score: 68)
(6) Chicago (Transit Score: 65)
(7) Seattle (Transit Score: 59)
(8) Miami (Transit Score: 57)
(9) Baltimore (Transit Score: 57)
(10) Portland (Transit Score: 50)

A front view of a bike share station (photo by Kate Hinds)

Alta does it again. If the Board of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District votes as recommended, Alta will get a $6 million contract to run San Francisco's regional bike share, adding to its recent acquisitions in New York, Chicago, Boston, and Washington.

The San Francisco program plans for 500 bikes in SF, with another 500 in the Silicon Valley cities of Palo Alto, San Jose, Mountain View, and Redwood city.

Like Chicago and New York, San Francisco is racing to get its system up and running by this summer.

According to a memo circulated by Jack Broadbent, the group's executive officer:

"Alta was the highest ranked bidder in each of the criteria areas with the exception of cost. Alta has extensive experience in the management and deployment of bicycle sharing systems domestically and internationally. Alta has previously deployed and currently operates bicycle sharing systems in several cities including Montréal (Canada), Washington, D.C. and Boston; and has been chosen to deploy and operate additional bicycle sharing systems in New York City and Chicago.

"Their methodology and approach to the Bay Area deployment leverages these past experiences and was determined by the Panel to be best approach to successfully completing the pilot project."

The New York program doesn't pay any money at all to Alta, instead relying on sponsorships to raise the money to pay for the program. New York has yet to announce the sponsorship for its bike share, but that announcement is expected to come soon.

Hat tip: Streetsblog SF.

Senators James Inhofe and Barbara Boxer (photo by EPWChairBoxer viaFlickr)

Now it can be known -- here's who will be hammering out the details of a Transportation Bill with the House -- should any hammering be possible -- with experts from Ray LaHood on down opening doubting there will be a transportation bill this year. The House has yet to name any conferees.

Democrat Conferees:

Barbara Boxer (CA)
Max Baucus (MT)
Jay Rockefeller (WV)
Tim Johnson (IL)
Chuck Schumer (NY)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Bob Menendez (NJ)
Dick Durbin (IL)

Republican conferees:

James Inhofe (OK)
David Vitter (LA)
Richard Shelby (AL)
Orrin Hatch (UT)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
John Hoeven (ND)

Former New York Governor David Paterson has been nominated by his successor, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to serve on the board of New York’s MTA.

By fall, MBTA riders will be able to purchase and display commuter rail tickets on their smart phones. The MBTA says this is the first for  a commuter rail system in the U.S.

Less than half of the MBTA's 140 commuter rail stations have vending machines, forcing customers to buy tickets on board.

The MBTA says 2/3 of riders now have smart phones.

“With this new and innovative approach, we are putting a ticket machine right in the palms of our customers’ hands,” said Acting MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis, in a statement.

The tickets will work through barcodes that conductors will check -- also using smart phones.

The MBTA will pay the developer,  Masabi US Ltd, 2.8 percent of each ticket price, the same price it pays small retail stores (coffee shops, newsstands), to sell their tickets.

"We're using the 'bring your own infrastructure' model," said the MBTA's Joshua K. Robin. "Instead of our buying vending machines, customers bring their own smart phones."   Robin says a vending machine/smart card ticketing system for the MBTA was projected to cost $50-70 million.

"

The MBTA says it will use focus groups to design the new application, and will run a pilot in late summer. The full system will see the application in the fall.

Boston was one of the first transit systems in the nation to release real-time bus arrival information to software developers, a system now used by as many as a third of bus riders.

Former Governor David Paterson with Governor Andrew Cuomo (right) (Photo: Governor Cuomo's flickr stream)

New York's former Governor, David Paterson, has been nominated by his successor, Andrew Cuomo, to serve on the board of New York's MTA.

As Governor, Paterson presided over some of the deepest cuts the MTA had to sustain in generations -- but he also vociferously stumped for East River bridge tolls to fund transit. Those tolls foundered when they arrived at the state legislature, and a patched-up plan left MTA finances in a continually precarious position.

Paterson also appointed Jay Walder, a respected transportation professional, to run the MTA.

"I applaud Governor Andrew Cuomo's nomination of former Governor David Paterson to the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority," said Joseph Lhota, the current head of the MTA, in a statement. "I have known the former Governor for 35 years and look forward to the opportunity to work with him again. He has long shared the Governor's commitment to our mission of providing safe, efficient and effective transportation to more than 8.5 million riders every day.

"Once confirmed by the Senate, former Governor Paterson will bring a unique and practical perspective, particularly with respect to issues affecting minority communities and disabled New Yorkers. I look forward to former Governor Paterson bringing to our board deliberations the charm, wit and compassion he has shown throughout his public life.”

Transit activists were also pleased with the appointment. “With another planned fare hike looming in January 2013, Paterson’s experience as a governor and state senator will prove critical to working with Albany lawmakers to find new funding for our transit system, sparing overburdened New Yorkers yet another fare hike,” said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, in a statement.

Paterson, the former Lt. Governor. was elevated to Governor when his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, resigned after it emerged he had consorted with prostitutes.

Paterson, who is legally blind, had previously been a State Senator from Harlem. As Governor, Paterson became embroiled in his own scandals, involving an accusation of domestic violence against one of his top aides, and a possible cover-up. Paterson chose not to run for re-election, and now hosts his own radio show.

Paterson will replace Nancy Shevell, a GOP fundraiser and trucking executive, who resigned after marrying former Beatle Paul McCarthy.

The city’s Department of Transportation has been quietly shopping around close-to-final maps of locations for bike share stations to community boards in recent weeks.

Sample Bike Share Dock (photo: Kate Hinds)

UPDATED WITH MORE INFORMATION ON COMMUNITY BOARD MEETINGS.

In recent weeks, the New York City Department of Transportation has been quietly presenting close-to-final maps of locations for bike share stations to community boards.  Community Board 4 -- including Times Square and points west,  Community Board 3, in the East Village, and Community Board 2 in Lower Manhattan have seen the maps.

In Community Board 4, the city is looking to put two bike docks near Port Authority, several near Penn Station, at least one on Columbus circle, and a number on the far west side. In Community Board 3, the DOT is looking to site several stations around Astor Place, a popular spot for bar and restaurant patrons, close to NYU and several subway stops.

The city is refusing to release draft maps, saying it will do so in a few weeks time.  (The New York Times wisely snapped a picture of the CB 4 map, you can find it here.)

The DOT has several meetings planned for other community boards, including:

• Manhattan Community Board 1: May 3
• Manhattan Community Board 2: Transportation Committee, May 8, Full Board, May 24 (DOT presentation not yet scheduled)
• Manhattan Community Board 4: May 2 (vote on resolution on tentative map)
• Manhattan Community Board 5: May 31
• Manhattan Community Board 6: May 17
• Manhattan Community Board 7: not yet scheduled
• Brooklyn Community Board 2: information not yet available
• Brooklyn Community Board 3: Full Board, May 7, Transportation Committee  May 8
• Brooklyn Community Board 6: May 17 (tentative)

We'll update with more information as it becomes available.  (And meeting dates and agenda can be confirmed on community board websites:  Manhattan and Brooklyn. )

For the most part, community board leaders have been pleased with the mapping. "I think they did an amazing job," said Susan Stetzer, District Manager of Community Board 3. "I don't understand why they won't share the information."

Wally Rubin, Manager of Community Board 5 in Midtown, which is still finalizing its maps, added "DOT very much wants bike share to succeed, and they're doing their darndest to take input and be careful. People feel good about being asked for input."

Community Board 2's transportation committee saw and approved its maps, but the full board wouldn't approve the locations until a map is available for the full board, and sent the resolution back to committee.  The transportation committee meets next on May 7th.

The city has not put any of the meetings on its bike share website. DOT did not explain why.

The final plan calls for 10,000 bikes at 600 docks around New York City.

Freedman With Boston Mayor Menino at the Bike Share Launch (City of Boston Photo)

Nicole Freedman, who shepherded Boston's bike share from idea to reality, is leaving to run Maine Huts & Trails.  Freedman, a former Olympic cyclist and world champion bicyclist, was once honored by the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.  She coined the memorable term "bike share is Zipcar on steroids."

We'll miss you, Nicole!

Here's the good-bye note she sent around.

An increase in fuel efficiency standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 will save New York and New Jersey motorists big money, according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. New Yorkers will save almost $3 billion a year, while New Jersey residents will save $1.5 billion.

Gas Prices, February 2012

UPDATED: The Natural Resource Defense Council says drivers will save some $70 billion by 2025 from fuel savings and other costs associated with cars that get 54.5 m.p.g. -- the federal standard in that year.

Individual drivers will save about $4,400 over the life of their cars -- accounting for the increased costs of high-mileage cars.

The report says increased fuel efficiency will cut U.S. oil consumption by 1.7 million barrels a day by 2030, the equivalent of the combined U.S. oil imports from Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 2011.

It will also cut carbon pollution by 297 metric tons, equivalent to the CO2 emssions of 76 coal power plants.

Alan Baum, of Baum and Associates, an automotive forecasting firm, said consumer demand for higher mileage vehicles is growing.  "Before 2007 the expectation was that fuel prices would be low, and if they went up, that was the aberration," said Baum on an NRDC-organized conference call. " People in the 2005-6 period said, 'oh, okay, we’ve got a problem with whatever, political issues in the mid-east or supply shortages, etc – that’s a transitory thing and I’m not going to change my interest in fuel economy.’ From 2007 onward, it reversed."

"To the extent we enjoyed fuel prices under $3.00 in recent years, the general expectation from the consumer was that was the aberration. That the norm was going to be higher fuel prices."

NRDC says there were only 5 car models that got more than 30 m.p.g. in 2009, before the White House announced new fuel standards.  In the 2012 model year, there were 15 models.

Here's a list of state saving calculated by the NRDC.

1) Texas               $7.750 billion
2)California          $7.270 billion
3)Florida:             $6.683 billion
4) New York:       $2.959 billion
5)North Carolina: $2.797 billion
6) Georgia:           $2.564 billion
7) Virginia:          $2.179 billion
8)Pennsylvania:    $2.004 billion
9)Tennessee:        $1.958 billion
10)Arizona:          $1.887 billion
11) Illinois           $1.853 billion
12) Ohio:             $1.664 billion
13) Washington:  $1.547 billion
14) Maryland       $1.529 billion
15) Michigan       $1.520 billion
16) New Jersey:   $1.452 billion
17) Alabama       $1.271 billion
18) Kentucky:     $1.207 billion
19) Missouri:      $1.207 billion
20) Minnesota    $1.162 billion

And, in case you've forgotten, a gas price graph from AAA:

It's been a raucous morning at the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, which is voting on new rules for outer-borough livery drivers, the last major hurdle before the city can start issuing new licenses so livery drivers can pick up street hails outside of Manhattan.

WNYC's Kathleeen Horan @KathleenHoran has been tweeting out all morning. The yellow cab industry is in a tizzy about this -- yesterday it filed a suit to block the plan, and as Kathleen tweets "one of the city's yellow fleet owners calls the plan 'biggest taking of property ever by NYC' and says there's $5 billion in medallion loans on the line."

She also tells us following a shouting outburst "2 are escorted outside for shouting."

We'll have more later as the hearing, and vote develop.

LaHood (file photo)

Politico is reporting that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican Congressman from Illinois, sees no hope of passage of a transportation re-authorization bill before November's election.

 "Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood knows it's unlikely a long-term transportation bill will be passed on his watch, so he says his greatest accomplishment in the Obama administration will be a commitment to safety.

“I wish we could see a transportation bill, but I know we won’t,” LaHood said Wednesday morning at the launch event for POLITICO Pro Transportation.

The American Public Transportation Association issues  monthly reports on how much people can save by taking transit -- using something in the $9500-a-year range. This month, the number is $10,126, with New Yorkers saving almost $15,000 a year, Bostonians $13,675, and San Franciscans $13, 339.

The savings are based on the cost of commuting by transit vs. owning, insuring, parking, maintaining, and keeping gas in a car.   It's based on the idea that households with transit can do with fewer cars.

Here's their savings chart: