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In referring to the controversial transportation bill that still lacks a majority to get through the House of Representatives, you might recall the line used by Woody Allen to begin Annie Hall.
“There’s an old joke - um… two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of ‘em says, ‘Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.’ The other one says, ‘Yeah, I know; and such small portions.’
Such are the sentiments of some in the transit agency community, who may may feel the same as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who has labeled it as both the "worst" transportation bill he's seen in decades and the most partisan.
The proposed bill calls for the elimination of dedicated funding from the Highway Trust Fund for public transit, replacing it with a one-time allocation that runs out completely in 2016. It also would cut
subsidies for Amtrak by 25 percent and slash funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects.
The current transportation legislation expires at the end of March, so transit officials hope something is passed within the next month for federal funding to continue. But in Tampa Bay and at transit agencies across the country, there is considerable concern about what might happen next.
For the full article, visit Creative Loafing.
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