(above) - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/RICK McFARLAND Peter Rogoff (right), Federal Transit Association administrator, talks with Ken Savage, Arkansas Transit Association president, at the state association’s annual membership meeting in Little Rock on Tuesday.
Transit boss praises stimulus
U.S. funds kept buses running, he says at LR meeting
Federal stimulus dollars did more than create jobs, the nation’s Federal Transit Administration chief told statewide public transit providers Tuesday. The funds helped many public transit agencies stay on the road.
Peter Rogoff, administrator for the federal agency, was the guest speaker at the Arkansas Transit Association’s annual luncheon held in conjunction with the Arkansas Public Transportation Conference in Little Rock. The three-day conference ends today.
The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, commonly called the federal stimulus program, was meant to stimulate the recession-laden U.S. economy with $787 billion in government money. Arkansas’ share of stimulus money for road projects is $351 million.
An American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials report in August stated that there were 2,026 jobs created or sustained in Arkansas during the stimulus program’s first year.
Rogoff, appointed to his position in May 2009, said the funding came at a critical time not only for public transit agencies, but for those who rely on public transit in their daily lives.
“The stimulus program did not only create jobs, in many cases it also preserved services for transit agencies, and at a time when transit agencies were struggling,” Rogoff said to the luncheon crowd of more than 200, adding that service reliability is also vital.
“Bus service that is not reliable means people not getting to work on time,” Rogoff said. “And in this poor economy, people who are late to work get fired.”
In Pulaski County, the Central Arkansas Transit Authority received $5.4 million in stimulus funds, CATA Executive Director Betty Wineland said Tuesday. Those funds helped pay for eight new buses, four paratransit vans for disabled riders, and maintenance and rehabilitation of CATA’s administration building and the River Cities Travel Center transfer station.
“We need to preserve services at these times when working people need it the most,” Rogoff said after his speech. “The demands for public transit is only going to increase, especially with the aging of the population.”
During the recession and in previous years when gasoline prices reached new highs, the demand for public transit rose, yet “our transit agencies are harder pressed to provide it,” Rogoff said.
Investment in transit is at the center of President Barack Obama’s agenda, Rogoff said. His agency, Rogoff said, wants to be “in front of the curve” in investing in the nation’s highways, bridges, airport runways and public transit.
With construction bids being lower and the costs of materials and labor being “more affordable,” during the poor economy, Rogoff said, “Now is the time for us to take a look at our infrastructure and see where our weak spots are and attack them.”
The Arkansas Transit Association is observing its 30th year. Its 240 members make it the second-largest transit association in the nation, behind California, Executive Director Ann Gilbert told the group.
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