Funk's Front Porch

Governing Magazine on Light Rail

Governing Magazine has an interesting article about light rail. Here's a short excerpt:

Light rail is enjoying something of a national moment, akin to the subway boomlet 40 years ago that brought MARTA to Atlanta, BART to the Bay Area and Metro to Washington, D.C., and its suburbs. There are some key differences between that era and this one, though. For one thing, the light-rail systems being built today are expressly intended to catalyze transit-oriented development in ways that the last generation of rail investment hadn't envisioned. Plus, Americans seem more ready to ride the rails now than they were in the 1960s and '70s, when their love affair with driving and suburban-style living was still fresh.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee

The Mayor and City Council are in the process of selecting citizens to serve on a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The group will help establish policies to make Kansas City a better place to bike, run and walk. Each council member will appoint someone from their district, and the Mayor appoint a chair. If you're interested in serving, please contact your city council member or the Mayor's Office.

Download 7.28.08 BPAC Memo.pdf

Mayor Funkhouser to Pump Gas to Build Support for Public Transit

Mayor Funkhouser will pump gas at a Midtown gas station today to build support for transit alternatives. He will be at the QuikTrip at 43^rd and Main St. at 10:45 a.m. filling motorists’ tanks and urging attendance at several public hearings regarding transit. The Mayor will be joined by Councilman Russ Johnson and has invited regional leaders to participate.

In addition to pumping gas, the Mayor will hand out flyers with details about several upcoming public meetings regarding transit. The meetings are:

Hosted by MARC
Wednesday, July 23
7-8:30 p.m.
North Kansas City Community Center: 1999 N. Iron Rd. North Kansas, MO

City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Thursday, July 24^th 
10:00 a.m.
City Hall, 10^th Floor

Hosted by MARC
Thursday, July 24
7-8:30 p.m.
Liberty Community Center: 1600 S. Withers Rd. Liberty, MO

Regional Leaders’ Meeting
Friday, July 25
8:30 a.m.
Gladstone Community Center: 6901 N. Holmes.

“Everywhere I go, folks tell me they need transportation options,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “As Mayor, I’m working very hard to make those choices possible. But now it’s time for the people to speak up. I urge everyone to come out and show their support for more transit options.”

“This will be an opportunity for citizens to talk directly to the region’s decision makers and tell them how much Kansas City needs an excellent transit system,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “I’ll do just about anything I can to get the word out and encourage people to attend – even pump gas.”

Regional Transit

Below is a link with information discussing the tri-county regional transit effort. Enjoy!

http://www.kcsmartmoves.org/ 

Regional Transit Summit

On Friday, the Mayor convened a meeting of more than 30 elected officials from around the metropolitan area. A tape of that meeting will air tonight on Channel 2 at 9 p.m.

More Info about Regional Transit Plan

Yesterday, the Mayor released to the public a proposed plan for regional transit. On Friday, he will meet with other elected officials from around the region to answer questions about the plan.

Two questions he's been asked a lot since releasing the plan: How much of the plan is based on federal money we expect to receive? And how long would it be before the trains are up and running?

The plan is based on a projected 50 percent match from the federal government. The transportation consultants who worked with the Mayor's staff to develop the plan say that a 50 percent match is a "reasonable" assumption.

As far as a timeline is concerned, the entire system could be up and running in eight years. The buses could begin rolling immediately. Commuter rail would take at least five years. Light rail and modern street cars would be running in eight years.

Regional Transit Plan

On Friday, May 23, the Mayor's Office mailed copies of a regional transit plan to 60 local elected officials. That plan is now available for download.

Mayor Funkhouser will formally present the plan to the mayors and county leaders from Clay, Platte and Jackson Counties on Fraiday, May 30, at a meeting co-hosted by Mayors David Bower of Raytown, Kathleen Rose of Riverside. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at Kansas City Baptist Temple, 5460 Blue Ridge Cut-Off, Raytown, and will adjourn at noon.

Mayors announce location of Regional Meeting on Transit

Mayors David Bower of Raytown, Kathleen Rose of Riverside and Mark Funkhouser of Kansas City will host a meeting on Friday, May 30, for the mayors and county leaders from Clay, Platte and Jackson Counties to discuss a regional transit system plan. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at Kansas City Baptist Temple, 5460 Blue Ridge Cut-Off, Raytown, and will adjourn at noon.

At this meeting, Mayor Funkhouser and City Councilman Russ Johnson will formally present a plan for a regional transit system that would be made possible by a three-county vote this November. In order to facilitate a more productive conversation, the Mayor’s office mailed copies of the plan to 60 elected officials. The plan will be made available to the public on Tuesday, May 27.

For more information contact Kendrick Blackwood in Mayor Funkhouser’s office: 816-513-3513.

MARC Survey Questions on Transit

In 2000, the Mid-America Regional Council conducted an in-depth survey conducted of about 1,700 area households to find out where residents see problems and where they feel the region is doing well.   It was also intended to provide  direction to decision makers as alternative   solutions are weighed and limited resources are applied to problem areas.

This survey, called Metro Outlook, is periodically updated.

On the latest Metro Outlook Survey, there was one question that asked people to rate how well their community and the metropolitan area were doing on a wide variety of issues -- including transportation.  One of the characteristics they asked about was the “Quality and availability of public transportation – buses or rail.” 

For Kansas City, this question produced the lowest rating of any of the things MARC asked about.  One third of residents said public transit was “Poor” in their community.  Another third rated it “Fair.” So two out of three said it is less than “Good” in their community. 

In another question, residents were asked to identify which issues should receive the most attention from  local and regional leaders.  Twenty-one percent identify “Quality and availability of public transit – buses or rail” as the one of the top issues to be addressed in their community, which ranks fourth, behind Crime (35%),  Jobs (29%) and Schools (26%) and just ahead of Energy Efficiency (19%).  When considering the most important issues for the metropolitan area, the percent rating it a top issue is 17 percent. This ranks sixth, behind Crime (47%), Schools (26%), Jobs (25%), Road Maintenance (20%), and Poverty (20%). It is tied with Housing Affordability (17%) and Traffic Congestion (17%).

Click the link below to download the survey results:

Download metro_outlook_survey_data_rating_community_and_metro.doc 

MAYORS TO ANNOUNCE REGIONAL MEETING FOR LIGHT RAIL

Mayors David Bower of Raytown, Kathleen Rose of Riverside and Mark Funkhouser of Kansas City, along with Kansas City Councilman Russ Johnson, will hold a press conference today at 4 p.m. at Raytown City Hall, 10000 East 59th Street. They will announce a May 30th meeting for the mayors and county leaders from Clay, Platte and Jackson Counties to discuss a regional light rail plan that will be released later this month.

“An excellent transit system can help every town in the metropolitan area,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “But we need to work together as a region to make it happen.”

Based on the input of local elected officials and the ongoing analysis and transit work done to-date by MARC, the KCATA and others, Mayor Funkhouser will release a regional proposal for discussion purposes in advance of the May 30th meeting. It will address specifics regarding governance, financing and service. The results of polling that will be conducted to assess voter support for regional transit also will be available on May 30.

“Officials need to understand how a transit system will benefit their constituents,” said Mayor Rose. “We hope that we can come together at the end of the month to discuss a proposal and determine what works for the region.”

All three mayors expressed the importance of acting quickly. In 2009, Congress will reauthorize the federal transportation bill, the most likely method through which the federal government would fund a light rail effort. Because of this, any delay in putting an initiative to the voters may hurt the region’s chances for federal funding.

Mayor Bower believes a plan can be assembled and put to the voters in November. “If we put our minds to it, I know it can be done,” Bower said.

For more information contact Kendrick Blackwood in Mayor Funkhouser’s office: 816-513-3513.