TEA-3
Reauthorization
Advocacy
Workbook
All you need to know
to get the most
out of reauthorization.
The Center for
Neighborhood
Technology
Regional Congress II
"The Number
$
Game"
September 20, 2003
Greetings from Jacky
Dear Advocate,
Welcome to the second annual Regional Congress. Your presence here
shows that you are dedicated to expanding and improving the
transportation choices available in northeastern Illinois. The true test of
our strength is fast approaching. On September 4
th
, the House
Appropriations Committee of the United States Congress voted to restore
the Transportation Enhancements program in the Transportation
Appropriations bill (H.R. 2989). This is a huge victory for all pedestrians
and cyclists, and could not have happened without the swift action of
many citizens like yourself who called or wrote their elected officials to
voice their opinion.
It now appears that Congress will not vote on reauthorization for several
more months. The House Appropriations Committee is currently producing
an extension bill for TEA-21, which will provide us with a new challenge
to overcome, but also extra time for meaningful action.
At this Regional Congress and in this workbook you will find information on how the TEA-21 extension
bill and the threatened changes to TEA-3 will affect your community. You will also find tools to help
stop the United States Congress from turning back the clock on equitable and efficient transportation
spending. I urge you to use these tools, and especially to talk to your legislators.
Together we can make a difference in this region!
Sincerely,
Jacky Grimshaw
Vice-President for Policy,
Transportation and Community Development
Center for Neighborhood Technology
TEA-21 & TEA-3:
Overview and History
The House Appropriations Committee is now busy drawing
up a TEA-21 extension bill to hold us over as they
deliberate on TEA-3 reauthorization. Some in Congress
would like to include a "flexibility provision" in this
extension that allows state departments of transportation
to change the obligation categories for dedicated funding
streams. If this provision is included, Congress will be
allowing the Illinois Department of Transportation
(IDOT) to spend funds previously obligated for other uses
- transit, congestion mitigation and air quality,
transportation enhancements projects - and meant
specifically for metropolitan regions by TEA-21, instead
on roads and highways anywhere in the state.
History of the TEAs
1991:
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)
adopted
This Act required transportation planners to consider:
1) alternative modes of transportation and
2) the environmental, cultural, economic and social
conditions in the area being planned.
Transportation Enhancements (TE) set aside 10% of the
federal funds in each state for projects that serve
pedestrians and bicyclists in various ways.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program
introduced, which provided $6 billion for congestion
reduction and air quality improvement projects.
Historic preservation adopted as directive for road and
arterial design.
1998:
Transportation Equity Act for the 21
s t
Century (TEA-21)
adopted
TE, CMAQ and historic preservation reauthorized.
2003: (Sept 4)
The House Appropriations Committee accepted the Petri/
Olver amendment to the fiscal year 2004 budget bill,
which saved TE from elimination in the TEA-3
reauthorization bill.
TEA-21 Extension Bill Details
A similar extension bill including a
flexibility provision was passed in 1997
as Congress worked to reauthorize TEA-
21. In 1997, $13.2 billion was available
to all the states as unobligated funds, and
only $9.8 billion was obligated for specific
uses.
In 2004, it appears that $28.4 billion will
be available as unobligated funds, and
$17.2 for designated uses. The state
departments of transportation already
have a huge sum of flexible funds
available, and the current laws allow
many obligated funds to be used flexibly
as well.
There is no need, therefore, to allow
states to divert funds from designated
uses (including Transportation
Enhancements, Congestion Mitigation and
Air Quality, Jobs Access and Reverse
Commute, and other TEA programs) to
road or other construction.
When Congress passed the extension bill
in 1997, States chose to increase spending
on road and highway construction at the
expense of programs previously funded
by dedicated allocations. Don't let
Congress make the same mistake twice!
For more information about the
TEAs, reauthorization, and the ex-
tension bill visit:
www.transact.org
www.enhancements.org
www.railtrails.org/whatwedo/policy/
tea21.asp
www.americabikes.org/
saveenhancements_factsheet.asp
Or contact Jacky Grimshaw at
CNT
at 773.278.4800 x133 or jacky@cnt.org
"Employers report difficulty finding
and retaining workers willing to
make arduous commutes. Because the
jobs-housing mismatch requires a
coordinated approach to both land
use and transportation policy, this
region is unable to apply remediation
strategies."
Changing Direction, p. 15
Public transportation is critical to mobility and to accessing
economic and social opportunities - jobs, training, childcare,
education, medical care. Though threatened, funding for public
transportation is more important than ever because increasingly
more working families rely on it. By relieving traffic congestion
in urban areas and linking communities in rural areas, public
transit encourages economic development and provides people
with a convenient transportation alternative. We must build
support locally for public transportation improvements, and
urge our local, state, and federal officials to support and
advocate for greater and better public transportation in Illinois.
What's at stake?
TEA-3 will determine funding for public transportation for
several years. TEA-21 revolutionized the way that public transit
is funded by providing a stable source of federal funding for
transit systems, allowing many systems to maintain and expand
services. Key transit programs are the Section 5309 Transit
Capital programs, including the Transit New Starts program,
the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program, as well
as three funding streams under the Transit Formula Program,
which benefit both urban and rural areas and provide funding
to improve access for senior citizens and people with disabilities.
Community-based organizations are eligible for funds to
coordinate transportation for their clients under JARC and
provide programs for seniors and the disabled.
Where are we now?
The New Starts program provides up to 80% federal funding for
new or expanded transit systems. Demand for this program far
outweighs current funding, but right now Congress has only
provided funds equivalent to last year's budget. The CTA Blue
Line, Brown Line, and the North Central Metra line renovation
projects are examples of the New Starts program in action.
The JARC program, which provides funding for innovative
transportation initiatives that move people to work and work-
related activities, provides a 50% federal match for state and
local funding. The JARC program has provided over $12 million
dollars to local transportation projects throughout Illinois since
1998. This year JARC could lose up to 40% of its funding if
Congressional action is not taken.
Fast Facts:
·
Average annual household
transportation spending in the
northeastern Illinois region is
$5,436 (STPP, 2003)
·
One in four U.S. households
have no access to public
transportation, and one-half
have limited service (APTA
2003)
·
Over 300 jobs are created for
each $10 million invested in
capital funding for public
transit systems.
(www.publictransportation.org)
For more about JARC funding or
advocacy, contact Dia Cirillo at
Work, Welfare and Families at
312.658.0225 x202 or
dcirillo@workwelfareandfamilies.org
Or Amanda Eichelkraut at
Citizen Action Illinois at
312.427.2114 x8 or
amanda@cntitizenaction-il.org
Transit & Access to Jobs
Two riders taking advantage of the
Bloomington Wheels to Work program,
sponsored by JARC.
Pedestrian & Bicycle
"Parents are frustrated with the lack
of safe and reasonable choices for
their children. Some children spend
most of their time indoors and inside
cars. Their parents hope to avoid an
unequal enouter between a 75-pound
child and a 2,000 pound machine."
Changing Direction 2030, p. 11+
For more information about
pedestrian and bicyclist
issues, visit:
Pedestrian and Biking Info Center
www.bikepedinfo.org
Transportation Alternatives, NYC
www.transalt.org
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
www.rwjf.org/index.jsp
America Walks
www.americawalks.org
Or contact Gin Kilgore at CNT at
773.287.4800 x115 or gin@cnt.org
What's at Stake?
ISTEA and TEA-21 gave walkers and cyclists a great boost by
explicitly stating that federal transportation dollars could be
used for pedestrian and bicycle projects. The legislation
included strong language in support of these modes--for
example, projects using federal funds must routinely consider
the needs of cyclists and pedestrians. These provisions have
helped direct many more dollars to walking and bicycle-related
projects in the Chicago area over the last decade.
For example, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
Improvement (CMAQ) Program and Illinois Transportation
Enhancement Program (ITEP) are the largest funding sources
for pedestrian and bicycle oriented projects in northeastern
Illinois, providing over $90 million in funds for 232 bicycle and
pedestrian projects since 1992. The locally-programmed surface
transportation program (STP-L) is another significant funding
source. STP-L funds are involved in 29 (22%) of the 109
pedestrian and bicycle projects in the FY 2002 - 2006
Transportation Improvement Program for Northeastern Illinois.
Federal law also provides support for the current effort to pass
a statewide Safe Routes to School bill. TEA-21 made pedestrian
and bicycle projects eligible for Hazard Elimination Funds,
which are supposed to be used to improve safety for all road
users. Illinois does not currently use these funds for pedestrian
and bicycle projects--a Safe Routes to School bill in Illinois
would set aside a percentage of Hazard Elimination funds for
pedestrian and bicycle projects around schools.
Don't let Congress turn back the clock on progress!
But just as art and music classes are the first to be cut when
schools face a budget crisis, walking and cycling projects are
often considered "extras" by people who think driving is the
only form of transportation worthy of public investment. This
summer, Representative Ernest Istook (R-OK), Chairman of the
Transportation Appropriations Sub-Committee, lead an attack
on Transportation Enhancements Funding, claiming, "It is
essential to focus the nation's limited transportation funding
on critical transportation projects and not divert funds for
projects that are `nice to have,' but do not contribute in a
meaningful way to solving our highway congestion problems."
But thanks to activists like you, his attack was unsuccessful
and TE funding has been restored . . . for now. But we must
remain vigilant to make sure that the NEX-TEA is at least as
supportive to walkers and cyclists as TEA-21!
1
Chicago Area Transportation Study, May 2003
Context Sensitive Design
Context Sensitive Design (CSD), also known as Context Sensitive
Solutions (CSS), requires state road construction policies and
practices to respect the existing built and natural environment
and to foster travel choice in an individual corridor. CSD requires
the state to engage in a collaborative planning process that
includes local officials, local and regional economic and cultural
organizations and the general public.
TEA-3 reauthorization is essential for the protection and
expansion of CSD.
CSD at the Federal Level
CSD emphasizes safety and conservation of community
resources. CSD encourages careful project design to
accommodate all roadway users and modes. Incorporation of
all travel modes promotes travel choice for all community
residents. Besides multi-modal benefits, CSD works in harmony
with social, economic, natural, and cultural environments within
a community.
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA),
adopted in 1991, emphasizes and mandates the development
of multi-modal transportation systems across the nation. This
law creates the platform from which the Federal Highway
Adminstration (FHWA) has adopted and promoted CSD as the
preferred method of roadway design.
FHWA's support for CSD has been essential to the successful
implementation of this technique by several state departments
of transportation.
Context Sensitive Design in Illinois
House Bill 3061, Context Sensitive Design, passed in the spring
of 2003 and was signed by the governor. The bill was modeled
on guidelines from Scenic America.
CSD requires highway engineers to recognize the flexibility
inherent in road design standards. One size does not fit all and
the professional standards allow for different solutions.
CSD also includes public participation early and often in
advising on the preferred outcomes of a project and on the
important local assets (historic, environmental, economic, and
cultural) that the road must respect.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is currently reviewing
and revising its design guidelines to be in conformance with
CSS/CSD. A report on their new standards will be delivered to
the governor and General Assembly by April 1, 2004.
"A quiet revolution is taking place
in Chicagoland. This revolution
opposes destructive state and regional
policies that have reduced the public's
choices and degraded communities
for the last half-century."
Changing Direction, p. 2
An example of CSD: The same street
before....
...and after a bike lane was added.
For more information, visit:
Federal Highway Administration
www.fhwa.dot.gov/csd/
Scenic America
http://www.scenic.org/roads.htm
CTAQC
http://www.cnt.org/tsp/trans/ctaqc/
csd.htm
or call 773.278.4800 x2030
Freight
The Chicago area is the freight hub of North America. Roughly
one-third of all US freight trains start in, stop in, or pass through
greater Chicago. Metropolitan Chicago handles much more
freight that any other urban area in America. Our role as the
nation's freight hub entails major problems and opportunities:
· Freight shipments fuel traffic congestion and air pollution.
Trucks take up over 28% of our region's expressway capacity.
On a typical day, Chicago area motorists spend more than
10,000 hours waiting for trains to pass through crossings.
Vehicles hauling freight generate more that 25% of the air
pollutants that cause smog in our region.
· Yet the freight transportation industry produced 120,000
jobs with a value of $8 billion for our region in 2001. The
value of freight shipped through our region exceeds $120
billion per year. For every 1% that Chicago area industries
can add to the value of these cargos, we will build the
regional economy by over $1.2 billion and add some 18,000
jobs.
For better or worse, freight transportation is one of the new
economy's major growth industries, projected to increase
product volume by 80% between 2000 and 2020.
Our region can reduce the negative side effects of freight
transportation and grow our economy if we can:
· Invest in infrastructure and information technology to
increase the efficiency of our freight transportation system;
· Shift a sizeable percentage of cargo from trucks to more
fuel-efficient modes of transport, i.e., rail or barge;
· Orient new industrial development to use rail, barge, and
intermodal freight networks;
· Reorganize agencies responsible for public oversight of and
investment in freight transportation to be more
accountable;
· Secure federal support of freight improvements in pending
legislation.
Several regional freight plans are emerging, as well as proposed
federal legislation, to meet these challenges. Citizens need to
understand these plans and support the measures that will give
us environmental improvement and economic growth.
Some local freight development
projects:
· CREATE Plan to upgrade
critical corridors of the
Chicago area rail network
· Efforts to orient industrial
land use to intermodal
transportation networks
· Potential reorganization
of regional transporta-
tion planning agencies
under Senate Bill 726.
"Integrated freight transportation
planning means guiding the location
of industrial businesses and making
strategic public investments that will
allow freight to move by efficient
types of transportation such as
railroad or barge. When planning
is not integrated, trucks carry a
disproportionate share of total
freight."
Changing Direction, p. 9
Photo by: David Wilson
For more information, contact:
David Chandler at CNT
at 773.278.4800 x123
or david@cnt.org
Photo by: David Wilson
There are many ways to make your voice heard! It is essential to make sure the
federal government doesn't turn back the clock, giving us more highways and more
congestion, and fewer of the things that are critical to maintaining our quality of life.
Use the Sample Letters we have provided to serve as an outline for the letters you
write to your Congressman, Senators, and local newspaper editors. Use the preceding
pages on Transit, Context Sensitive Design/ Solutions, Bicycle and Pedestrian
Options, and Freight as your talking points for a visit or for information and facts for
your letters.
Take a few minutes to use the
Brainstorming page to think about your community and
your transportation needs. It will help you to identify the important changes that you
would like to see in your community and the region. Use these points to add a
personal touch to a letter or as stories to share with your legislators when you visit
them.
Good luck in your advocacy endeavors! If you need more information or would like
more copies of Changing Direction: Transportation Choices
for 2030 call 773.278.4800
x. 2030 or e-mail ctaqc@cnt.org.
What You Can Do
Less of this!
More of this!
Brainstorming
This page is designed to get you thinking about how you move around and what
changes you would like to see in your community and the region.
Rank your prefered mode of transportation
when moving around your community and the
region.
___Transit
___Bicycle
___Walking
___Driving in a car with others
___Driving in a car alone
___Para-Transit
___Other
Describe it__________________
List Five Points of Congestion in your
community that make it more difficult to
move around.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
List Five Aspects of Current
Transportation Infrastructure in
your community and the region that
you like.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
List Three Transportation
Improvements that you would
like to see in your community.
1.
2.
3.
Federal Elected Officials
U.S. Senators
Hon. Richard J. Durbin (D)
230 S. Dearborn, Ste. 3892
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312.353.4952
Fax: 312.353.0150
Email: dick@durbin.senate.gov
Hon. Peter G. Fitzgerald (R)
230 S. Dearborn, Ste. 3900
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312.886.3506
Fax: 312.886.3514
Email: senator_fitzgerald@fitzgerald.senate.gov
U.S. Representatives
Hon. Bobby L. Rush (D), 1
st
Dist.
700 E. 79
th
St.
Chicago, IL 60619
Phone: 773.224.6500
Fax: 773.224.9624
Hon. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D), 2
nd
Dist.
17926 S. Halsted, Ste. 1 West
Homewood, IL 60430
Phone: 708.798.6000
Hon. William O. Lipinski (D), 3
r d
Dist.
5832 S. Archer
Chicago, IL 60638
Phone: 312.886.0481
Fax: 773.767.9395
Email: www.house.gov/lipinski
Hon. Luis V. Gutierrez (D), 4
th
Dist.
3455 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
Phone: 773.384.1655
Fax: 773.384.1685
Hon. Rahm Emanuel (D), 5
th
Dist.
3742 W. Irving Park Rd.
Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: 773.267.5926
Fax: 773.267.6583
Email: rahm.emanuel@mail.house.gov
Hon. Henry L. Hyde (R), 6
th
Dist.
50 E. Oak St., Ste. 200
Addison, IL 60101
Phone: 630.832.5950
Hon. Danny K. Davis (D), 7
th
Dis.
3333 W. Arthington St., Ste. 130
Chicago, IL 60624
Phone: 773.533.7520
Fax: 773.533.7530
Email: www.house.gov/davis
Hon. Philip M. Crane (R), 8
th
Dist.
1100 W. Northwest Hwy.
Palatine, IL 60067
Phone: 847.358.9160
Hon. Janice Schakowsky (D), 9
th
Dist.
5533 N. Broadway St.
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: 773.506.7100
Fax: 773.506.9202
Email: jan.schakowsky@mail.house.gov
Hon. Mark S. Kirk (R), 10
th
Dist.
102 Wilmot Rd., Ste. 200
Deerfield, IL 60015
Phone: 847.940.0202
Hon. Jerry F. Costello (D), 12
th
Dist.
1363 Niedringhaus Ave.
Granite City, IL 62040
Phone: 618.451.7065
Fax: 618.451.2126
Email: www.house.gov/costello
Your Elected Officials
U.S. Representatives cont.
Hon. Judy Biggert (R), 13
th
Dist.
115 W. 55
th
St., Ste. 100
Clarendon Hills, IL 60514
Phone: 630.655.2052
Fax: 630.655.1061
Hon. Dennis J. Hastert (R), 14
th
Dist.
27 N. River St.
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: 630.406.1114
Fax: 630.406.1808
Email: dhastert@mail.house.gov
State Elected Officials
Governor
Rod Blagojevich
James R. Thompson Center, Floor 16
100 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312.814.2121
Email: governor@state.il.us
Lt. Governor
Pat Quinn
James R. Thompson Center, Ste. 15-200
100 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312.814.5220
Email: ltgov@gov.state.il.us
Your Elected Officials
To contact your elected state officials, go to: http://www.legis.state.il.us/
For your elected county officials, visit:
Cook County: http://www.cookctyclerk.com/directory.html
DuPage County: http://www.co.dupage.il.us/
Kane County: http://www.co.kane.il.us/
Lake County: http://www.co.lake.il.us/
McHenry County : http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/
Will County: http://www.willcountyillinois.com/
State Elected Officials cont.
President of the Senate
Hon. Emil Jones (D), 14
th
Dist.
507 West 111th Street
Chicago, IL 60628
Phone: 773.995.7748
Fax: 773.995.9061
Email: jones@senatedem.state.il.us
Senate Minority Leader
Frank Watson (R), 51
st
Dist.
1355A S. St. Rte. 127
Greenville, IL 62246
Phone: 618.664.9108
Fax: 618.664.9112
Email: watson@gvc.net
Speaker of the House
Michael Madigan (D), 22
nd
Dist.
6500 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629
Phone: 773.581.8000
Fax: 773.581.9414
House Minority Leader
Tom Cross (R), 84
th
Dist.
530 W. Lockport St., Ste. 204
Plainfield, IL 60544
Phone: 815.254.0000
Fax: 815.609.3994
Regional Dailies
Chicago Sun-Times
401 N. Wabash
Chicago 60611
Phone 312.321.3000
Email: letters@suntimes.com
Chicago Tribune
435 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago IL 60611
Phone: 800.TRIBUNE
Email: publiceditor@tribune.com
Daily Herald
P.O. Box 280
Arlington Heights, IL 60006-0280
Phone: 847.427.4300
Email: fencepost@dailyherald.com
Daily Southtown, Inc.
6901 W. 159th St.
Tinley Park, IL 60477
Phone: 708.633.6777
Email: ekoziarski@dailysouthtown.com
Daily Defender
2400 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: 312.225.2400
La Raza
Phone: 773.273.2900
Email: vulloa@laraza.com
Regional Weeklies
Pioneer Press
3701 W. Lake Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: 847.486.9200
Email: sassone@pioneerlocal.com
Star Publications
6901 W. 159th St.
Tinley Park 60477
Phone: 708.802.8800
Email: thoulihan@starnewspapers.com
Sample of Neighborhood &
Special Interest Papers
Chicago Crusader
6429 S. King Dr.
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773.752.2500
Email: crusaderil@aol.com
Chicago Journal
141 S. Oak Park Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302
Phone: 312.243.2696
E-mail: chicagojournal@wjinc.com
Chicago Parent
Susy Schultz, editor
141 S. Oak Park Ave.
Oak Park, IL 60302
Email: sschultz@chicagoparent.com
Chicago Reader, Inc.
11 East Illinois Street
Chicago 60611
Phone: 312.828.9926
Email: letters@chicagoreader.com
Lawndale Press, Inc.
5416 W. 25th Street
Cicero, IL 60804</