THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON BEHALF OF THE TRANSIT PROVIDERS REPRESENTED BY THE LOUISIANA PUBLIC TRANSIT ASSOCIATION (LPTA). THE LPTA IS GRATEFUL FOR THIS COMMITTEE'S PAST SUPPORT OF PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT HELP LOUISIANA'S TRANSIT RIDERS. THE LOUISIANA PUBLIC TRANSIT ASSOCIATION (LPTA) REPRESENTS OVER 120 TRANSIT PROVIDERS IN LOUISIANA INCLUDING RURAL PROVIDERS, SPECIALIZED TRANSIT SERVICES, AND THE STATE'S URBAN AND SUBURBAN SYSTEMS. THE LPTA WILL BE REQUESTING FUNDING FOR A NUMBER OF VITAL TRANSIT PROJECTS ACROSS LOUISIANA. WE PLAN TO SUBMIT A FORMAL AND FINALIZED REQUEST BY THE MARCH 26, 1999 DEADLINE. THE LPTA ALSO LOOKS FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR WORK WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEE WITH CONGRESSMAN JEFFERSON'S ASSISTANCE. WE ARE SURE WE ARE IN CAPABLE HANDS AS WE TRY TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF CONGRESSMAN LIVINGSTON ON BEHALF OF LOUISIANA. AS LPTA PRESIDENT, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR SINCERE APPRECIATION TO CONGRESSMAN BOB LIVINGSTON AS HE EMBARKS ON HIS NEW CAREER. HIS 22 YEARS OF STEADY, RESPECTED, AND EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SERVICE TO THE STATE PROVED THAT LOUISIANA DID NOT ALWAYS DESERVE ITS PERCEPTION AS A POLITICAL BACKWATER. HE SERVED IN CONGRESS WITH HONOR AND BROUGHT GREAT PRIDE TO THOSE OF US WHO KNOW HIM. THE ENTIRE STATE WAS WELL SERVED BY THE CONGRESSMAN'S TENURE. WE WILL SORELY MISS HIS LEADERSHIP. AS ONE WHO MET THE CONGRESSMAN WHILE SERVING IN A FORMER ROLE AS A MARITIME REPRESENTATIVE, I WOULD LIKE TO BORROW A FEW SEAGOING AFFIRMATIONS AND WISH THE CONGRESSMAN GOD SPEED, AND MAY THE WINDS ALWAYS BE AT YOUR BACK. HOPEFULLY, WE WILL SEE YOU IN ANOTHER PORT IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THANK YOU. LETA Louisiana Public Transit Association STATEMENT OF PATRICK R. JUDGE LOUISIANA PUBLIC TRANSIT ASSOCIATION REGARDING MASS TRANSIT PROJECTS AND PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEBRUARY 10th ON BEHALF OF THE TRANSIT PROVIDERS REPRESENTED BY THE LOUISIANA PUBLIC TRANSIT ASSOCIATION (LPTA). THE LPTA IS GRATEFUL FOR THIS COMMITTEE'S PAST SUPPORT OF PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT HELP LOUISIANA'S TRANSIT RIDERS. THE FOLLOWING, AS PLEDGED ON FEBRUARY 10th, IS THE LPTA's DETAILED APPROPRIATION REQUEST FOR FY 2000. IT WAS AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE TO BE REPRESENTED BY FORMER CONGRESSMAN BOB LIVINGSTON. HIS 22 YEARS OF STEADY, RESPECTED, AND EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SERVICE TO THE STATE PROVED THAT LOUISIANA DID NOT ALWAYS DESERVE ITS PERCEPTION AS A POLITICAL BACKWATER. HE SERVED IN CONGRESS WITH HONOR AND BROUGHT GREAT PRIDE TO THOSE OF US WHO KNOW HIM. THE ENTIRE STATE WAS WELL SERVED BY THE CONGRESSMAN'S TENURE. WE WILL SORELY MISS HIS LEADERSHIP. THE LPTA LOOKS FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR WORK WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEE WITH CONGRESSMAN JEFFERSON'S ABLE ASSISTANCE. WE ARE SURE WE ARE IN CAPABLE HANDS AS WE TRY TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF CONGRESSMAN LIVINGSTON ON BEHALF OF LOUISIANA. THE LOUISIANA PUBLIC TRANSIT ASSOCIATION (LPTA) REPRESENTS OVER 120 TRANSIT PROVIDERS IN LOUISIANA INCLUDING RURAL PROVIDERS, SPECIALIZED TRANSIT SERVICES, AND THE STATE'S URBAN AND SUBURBAN SYSTEMS. THE LPTA IS REQUESTING FUNDING FOR A NUMBER OF VITAL TRANSIT PROJECTS ACROSS LOUISIANA. THE LPTA IS COORDINATING THIS STATEWIDE EFFORT TO ASSIST LOUISIANA TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN MEETING THEIR NEED FOR BASIC CAPITAL EQUIPMENT, SUCH AS REPLACEMENT BUSES AND FACILITIES. DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING SECTION 5309 FUNDING (FORMERLY SECTION 3) FOR BUS AND BUS RELATED FACILITIES THROUGH THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION (FTA) APPLICATION PROCESS, THE LPTA PRESENTS ITS STATEMENT TO THIS COMMITTEE IN AN EFFORT TO MEET THE STATE'S LONG-STANDING TRANSIT NEEDS. BEFORE EXPLAINING OUR PROJECT REQUESTS, THE LPTA WISHES TO THANK THE SUBCOMMITTEE FOR ITS ROLE IN APPROPRIATING $11,000,000 FOR THE $53.4 MILLION FY 99 REQUEST MADE BY LOUISIANA'S TRANSIT PROVIDERS. THAT FUNDING WILL GO A LONG WAY IN HELPING THE LOUISIANA TRANSIT PROVIDERS. THE TOTAL LOUISIANA REQUEST FOR FY 2000 UNDER FTA SECTION 5309 BUS AND BUS RELATED FUNDING IS $35,700,000. THE REQUEST IS FOR 9 PROJECTS OF VARYING SIZE AND COST FROM EIGHT TRANSIT AGENCIES. BRIEFLY, THOSE REQUESTS ARE FOR: THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, CAPITOL TRANSPORTATION CORPORATION (CTC), IS REQUESTING A TOTAL OF $2,100,000 FOR TEN (10) THIRTY-FIVE FOOT BUSES. THE NEW VEHICLES WILL ALLOW CTC TO BEGIN TO REPLACE SOME OF ITS FLEET ORIGINALLY PURCHASED IN 1988. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE NEW BUSES WILL ALLOW CTC TO BEGIN TO EXPAND ITS SERVICE TO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND UNTIL 11:00 PM. BATON ROUGE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A NON-ATTAINMENT AREA UNDER THE CLEAN AIR ACT STANDARDS. THE BUSES ARE CRITICAL TO CONTROL COSTS, AND ARE NECESSARY TO REDUCE THE NEED FOR CAPACITY INTENSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE BATON ROUGE OZONE NON-ATTAINMENT AREA. THE SERVICE EXPANSION PROGRAM WILL ALSO BE UTILIZING CONGESTION MITIGATION/AIR QUALITY (CMAQ) FUNDING. JEFFERSON PARISH, WHICH FUNDS AND OVERSEES TWO PRIVATE TRANSIT SYSTEMS ON EACH SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, LOUISIANA TRANSIT ON THE EAST AND WESTSIDE TRANSIT ON THE WEST, IS SEEKING FUNDING OF $240,000 FOR SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT. THE INSTALLATION OF THE VIDEO EQUIPMENT IS EXPECTED TO PREVENT VANDALISM, AND HELP THE PARISH IN DEFENSE OF PERSONAL INJURY SUITS. WHILE VANDALISM AND CRIME IS RELATIVELY LOW IN THE SUBURBAN SYSTEMS, JEFFERSON TRANSIT RECENTLY EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN VANDALISM AND PERSONAL INJURY SUITS. THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, THROUGH THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE TRANSIT SYSTEM (COLTS) IS SEEKING THE REMAINING $1,000,000 OF FEDERAL FUNDS NEEDED TO RECONSTRUCT AND RECONFIGURE A SITE CURRENTLY OPERATING AS A POSTAL FACILITY ADJACENT TO AN AMTRAK STATION. THE LAFAYETTE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION CENTER WILL SERVE AS THE TERMINAL FOR THE COLTS SYSTEM, A GREYHOUND STATION, AND AS AN ENHANCED AMTRAK STOP FOR THE SUNSET LIMITED. THE POSTAL SERVICE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO USE A PORTION OF THE SITE. FURTHER, THE TRANSPORTATION CENTER WILL BE CONNECTED TO THE AIRPORT VIA A PRESENTLY OPERATING COLTS LINE. THE $3,500,000 PROJECT ALREADY HAS BEEN DESIGNATED WITH A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND IS IN THE DESIGN PHASE WITH ARCHITECTURAL PLANS BEING OVER 75% COMPLETE. CONSTRUCTION IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN IN MARCH OF 1999. THE FY 99, FY 98, AND FY 97 TRANSPORTATION APPROPRIATIONS BILLS DESIGNATED $425,000, $750,000 AND $752,000, RESPECTIVELY, TOWARDS THE LAFAYETTE INTERMODAL TERMINAL PROJECT. THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT, SPECIFICALLY THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, IS IN EXTREME NEED OF ANOTHER $2,500,000 OF FEDERAL FUNDING TO ALLOW THE REPLACEMENT OF 62 VANS FOR BOTH RURAL AND SPECIALIZED TRANSIT PROVIDERS ACROSS LOUISIANA. THE APPLICATION FOR THIS FUNDING HAS BEEN PENDING BEFORE THE FTA FOR NEARLY FOUR YEARS. ALL THE VANS TO BE REPLACED ARE INACCESSIBLE UNDER ADA, EXCEED THE USEFUL LIFE STANDARD OF 5 YEARS BY 2-4 YEARS, AND ARE FAR BEYOND THE 100,000 MILES CITED AS THE MILEAGE STANDARD. OBVIOUSLY, SAFETY AND DEPENDABILITY PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLES OF THIS SIZE IS A GROWING CONCERN FOR THE RURAL, ELDERLY AND DISABLED COMMUNITY ACROSS LOUISIANA. ADDITIONAL DEMANDS FOR VANS ARE EXPECTED TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF WELFARE REFORM. IN ORDER TO MEET THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR TRANSIT SERVICE IN THE CITY OF MONROE, THROUGH THE MONROE TRANSIT SYSTEM (MTS), IS REQUESTING FUNDING TO RENOVATE, EXPAND, AND UPDATE THEIR AGING MAINTENANCE FACILITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,000,000 FOR THE $2,500,000 PROJECT. MTS WILL RENOVATE THE 15 YEAR OLD FACILITY BY ADDING BAYS TO BE DEDICATED TO CONDUCT COST SAVING PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE CHECKS AND TO EQUIP THE FACILITY WITH MODERN AND SAFER EQUIPMENT. IN ADDITION, MTS IS PLANNING TO RECONFIGURE THE FACILITY TO ALLOW FOR DRIVE-THROUGH CAPABILITY AND SPACE FOR ADDED INVENTORY. THE FACILITY IS MTS'S ONLY MAINTENANCE GARAGE AND THE WORK PROPOSED WILL MAKE IT MUCH MORE EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL TO OPERATE. 56-870 99-2 |