Mass Transit

NOV 2014

Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.

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8 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2014 ▶ Three agencies, competing in three dif- ferent categories based on annual ridership, were honored as the best public transpor- tation systems in North America, based on their achievements from 2011-2013. Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (Tri Delta Transit), Antioch, Calif., received the 2014 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award (Category: Providing 4 million or fewer annual passenger trips). Serving the transportation needs of nearly 300,000 residents in a 225-square-mile area 40 miles east of San Francisco, Tri Delta Transit's vision is to create an environment that encourages and rewards all employees to live a long, healthy and safe life. www.MassTransitmag.com/12015385 ▶ Lane Transit District (LTD), in Spring- feld, Ore., received the 2014 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achieve- ment Award (Category: Providing more than 4 million but fewer than 20 million annual passenger trips). Covering a ser- vice area of nearly 500 square miles and providing service to a population of more than 300,000, LTD serves the greater Eugene-Springfeld, Ore., area in the southern Willamette Valley. LTD was one of the frst public transit agencies to be fully accessible before the Americans with Disability Act deadline and it launched one of the nation's frst fully featured bus rapid transit systems. www.MassTransitmag.com/11656833 ▶ Utah Transit Authority (UTA), in Salt Lake City, Utah, received the 2014 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award (Category: Providing 20 million or more annual passenger trips). UTA provides bus, light rail, commuter rail, streetcar, bus rapid transit, vanpool, and bike and car share services to Salt Lake City and the sur- rounding fve counties. By the end of 2013, the agency opened its eleventh rail project — completing 140 miles of light rail. LAN SUN METRO in El Paso, Texas, opened the new Brio bus rapid transit system line on Oct. 27. PEOPLE & PLACES THE LASTEST INDUSTRY NEWS Sun Metro's Brio Opens in El Paso ▶ Sun Metro celebrated the grand opening of its 8.6-mile high-capacity bus rapid transit system along the Mesa Corridor in El Paso, Texas. Planning, engineering and program management frm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) led the design of the project. "We have dedicated nearly 6 years to analyzing, designing and building what we believe will revolutionize public transportation in our community," said Sun Metro Di- rector Jay Banasiak. "Mesa Brio is just the beginning of what's to come for El Paso. Our ongoing objective is provide a frst-class transportation system that moves our family, friends and neighbors to get to work, to school, to visit each other and back." Uniquely branded 60-foot articulated buses with low-foor boarding will transport more than 70 passengers between the terminal stations every 10 minutes during peak period and 15 minutes during of-peak.The Mesa Corridor is the frst of four RTS corri- dors approved by the city of El Paso. www.MassTransitmag.com/12014445 Top Public Transportation Organizations and Leaders Honored by APTA ▶ Te American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced the individual and organizational winners of the 2014 APTA Awards in Houston, during the APTA 2014 Annual Meeting/Expo. "Te 2014 APTA Awards winners are exceptional examples of leadership, innovation and excellence in the public transportation industry in North America," said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy. "On behalf of the 1,500 member organizations that belong to APTA, I congratulate this year's winners and thank them for their many signifcant contributions to the public transportation industry." ▶ Tis year APTA gave a new special one-time award called the Lifetime of Academic Distinction Award, which honors two renowned educators, Dr. George M. Smerk, Jr. and Dr. Vukan R. Vuchic, who have had a tremendous infuence on the public transportation industry. Dr. George M. Smerk Smerk received the frst Lifetime of Academic Distinction Award. He earned a B.S. in 1955 and a M.B.A. in 1957 from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. In 1963, he earned his doctorate in business administration from Indiana University, Bloomington. He was professor of transportation at Indiana University for almost 40 years, producing a steady stream of transit management graduates who went on to careers at transit agencies and businesses across the nation. At IU he founded the Institute for Urban Transportation and its training programs attracted professionals from 169 transit agencies. Smerk is a prolifc writer with six major books on urban public transportation, transit management, and the federal role in urban transportation to his name. Dr. Vukan R. Vuchic Vuchic received the second Lifetime of Academic Distinction Award. During his 54-year career, he introduced many new concepts and processes in urban and particularly public transit systems planning and operations, lifing them from practice into an applied science and bridging the gap between academics working on theoretical models and public transit operations. Vukan's focus on public transit systems and highway trafc engineering has broadened to the role of intermodal transportation in livable cities, transport policies and high-speed rail systems. Dr. George M. Smerk Dr. Vukan R. Vuchic

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