More with Less

Reauthorization. Long-term stable funding. Arguments over whether Ronald Reagan would or would not raise the gas tax in 2015. Funding for just highways? Transit? Enhancements? These are familiar and important topics for all of us who are interested in developing a strong transportation infrastructure the efforts to ensure that there are sufficient resources remains one of the key battles of the day. We must continue to discuss and fight for more reform of and improvements to the transportation programs, as well as more revenue dedicated to the transportation network. However, despite hopes for a different outcome, a longterm, wellfinanced transportation bill seems highly unlikely to come out of Washington DC in the near term. Another extension that takes from sources like the general fund to patch us through for a couple of months is a very good bet. In any event, any solution that will bring significant new resources would be a surprise (albeit a pleasant one).

Why is this important? For the people who are designing, building, permitting, operating and maintaining the nation’s rail and transit network, the obligation to continue to deliver service remains the same. The public, elected officials, businesses and other stakeholders may intellectually appreciate that funding is inadequate and we need major changes at a certain level, but they are not ready to give anyone a pass on delivering anything short of excellent transportation. The daily demand on everyone responsible for safely and efficiently moving riders is not going anywhere. In fact, with the rise of social media, failures in the network are increasingly highlighted. People can video doors that opened at the wrong time on a subway car, can post pictures of a massive queue of buses at rush hour (that could be the result of a car accident or other roadway delay) and can quickly email pictures to the local media of various other challenges that often arise given the numbers of buses, trolleys, trains, subway cars, etc that are operating at any given moment.

So what do we do? We may need more funding, better rules to deliver service and/or projects, but it's not necessarily coming anytime soon. We have to keep delivering service in an environment of growing ridership and interest in providing transportation alternatives and we need to do so under an ever more watchful eyes that can project their opinions and viewpoints with a click of a smartphone.

I believe that around the country, we are seeing agencies and transportation providers at every level using their dedication, energy, experience and creativity to find solutions to deliver more and better service despite the challenges listed above. I have seen it firsthand with the implementation of the CapeFlyer (full disclosure I have been a consultant to the project), which is an innovative partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the MBTA and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority to renew seasonal train service from Boston to Cape Cod for the first time in over fifty years. There was a recognition of a need to get visitors to the Cape and Islands, a key tourism destination in Massachusetts all while reducing the legendary congestion as visitors must cross over one of two highway bridges that were never meant to handle the current levels of traffic. The Cape Cod RTA wanted visitors to enjoy the region without adding to the single car ethos and gridlock and the state agencies recognized that they had 1. an underutilized rightofway that served some freight traffic and 2. equipment that was not scheduled to be in service over the weekend. The parties worked together the expedite improvements and manage costs so that the service could be up and running quickly within 18 months, with the understanding that there would be additional improvements if warranted by the interest in the service. It was a bitesize, incremental approach that fit the public budget with continual improvements. And it has been a success with revenue covering operating costs in the first three seasons and great support from the riders, the business community and elected officials.

This is not to say that everything should be done like the CapeFlyer, but it is meant to highlight that despite the challenging climate a targeted and discrete project that could garner immediate support and be implemented in shortorder (and, frankly, canceled if the experiment had not been successful) was quickly carried out by creative project proponents and has completed its third summer of service.

Why is this important? Because I believe that there are many other such projects throughout the country. I believe that MPOs, major city transit providers, small rural systems, paratransit providers, procurement departments, customer service departments, and everyone else responsible for the transportation network are developing low (or lower) cost projects, innovative partnerships, expedited projects, new methods to engage the public and other creative solutions to meet the needs of their communities. I also believe that those stories need to be told; we should see what our peers are doing maybe others can borrow an idea or a concept to try or build upon or maybe just get spark of innovation for tackling a local problem. We need to highlight these stories, celebrate these stories and see what all can learn from these stories.

We still need a stable, well-funded transportation network and the ability to develop creative solutions should not reduce that urgency. However, in meantime, please send me what you are doing well, what challenge you have developed a creative solution to solve more quickly, or more efficiently or more cost effectively and we will share them in a monthly column that highlights the challenge and solution for the benefit of all of us who want the system to work as well as possible while we tackle the bigger policy and funding issues.

Rob Diadamo is the principal of the Transportation Planning and Resource Group and a senior advisor to the Bronner Group's Center for Transportation Management. Prior to that, Diadamo was the deputy general manager to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the chief of staff to Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation (now MassDOT).