"TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 129: Local and Regional Funding Mechanisms for Public Transportation explores a series of transit funding mechanisms with a primary focus on traditional tax- and fee-based funding; and common business, activity, and related funding sources. The report includes an online regional funding database that provides an extensive list of funding sources that are in use or have the prospect of being used at the local and regional level to support public transportation. A user manual for the database is also available online"--Publisher's description.

Transportation and Public Health: An Integrated Approach to Policy, Planning, and Implementation helps current and future transportation professionals integrate public health considerations into their transportation planning, thus supporting sustainability and promoting societal health and well-being. The book defines key issues, describes potential solutions, and provides detailed examples of how solutions have been implemented worldwide. In addition, it demonstrates how to identify gaps in existing policy frameworks. Addressing a critical and emerging urgent need in transportation and public health research, the book creates a coherent, inclusive and interdisciplinary framework for understanding. By integrating principles from transportation planning and engineering, health management, economics, social and organizational psychology, the book deepens understanding of these multiple perspectives and tensions inherent in integrating public health and transportation planning and policy implementation.

Today, we're married to our cars. But life behind the wheel of an automobile didn't come naturally to Americans. Crooked politicians, unscrupulous businessmen, burning streetcars, and convoluted tax shenanigans are a few of the players in this gripping tale of corruption, greed, and endless miles of asphalt. In Andy Singer's accessible, scandalous tale of motordom, comics, text, and historic photographs tell the story of the rise of the U.S. highway system and the corresponding demise of rail and public transportation. He also explores how we can ditch the car and rebuild a functional transportation system that can bring wealth, happiness, and freedom.

With all levels of governments currently, and for the foreseeable future, under significant fiscal stress, any new transit funding mechanism is to be welcomed. Value capture (VC) is one such mechanism, which involves the identification and capture of a public infrastructure-led increase in property value. This book reviews four major VC mechanisms: joint development projects; special assessment districts; impact fees; and tax increment financing; all of which are used to fund transit in the United States. Through the study of prominent examples of these VC mechanisms from across the US, this book evaluates their performance focusing on aspects such as equity, revenue-generating potential, stakeholder support, and the legal and policy environment. It also conducts a comparative assessment of VC mechanisms to help policy makers and practitioners to choose one, or a combination of VC mechanisms. Although the book focuses on the US, the use of the VC mechanisms and the urgent need for additional revenue to fund public transportation are world-wide concerns. Therefore, an overview of the VC mechanisms in use internationally is also provided.

Urban transport systems are essential for economic development and improving citizens' quality of life. To establish high-quality and affordable transport systems, cities must ensure their financial sustainability to fund new investments in infrastructure while also funding maintenance and operation of existing facilities and services. However, many cities in developing countries are stuck in an "underfunding trap" for urban transport, in which large up-front investments are needed for new transport infrastructure that will improve the still small-scale, and perhaps, poor-quality systems, but revenue is insufficient to cover maintenance and operation expenses, let alone new investment projects. The urban transport financing gap in these cities is further widened by the implicit subsidies for the use of private cars, which represent a minority of trips but contribute huge costs in terms of congestion, sprawl, accidents, and pollution. Using an analytical framework based on the concept of "Who Benefits Pays," 24 types of financing instruments are assessed in terms of their social, economic and environmental impacts and their ability to fund urban transport capital investments, operational expenses, and maintenance. Urban transport financing needs to be based on an appropriate mix of complementary financing instruments. In particular for capital investments, a combination of grants †“from multiple levels of government†“ and loans together with investments through public private partnerships could finance large projects that benefit society. Moreover, the property tax emerges as a key financing instrument for capital, operation, and maintenance expenses. By choosing the most appropriate mix of financing instruments and focusing on wise investments, cities can design comprehensive financing for all types of urban transport projects, using multi-level innovative revenue sources that promote efficient pricing schemes, increase overall revenue, strengthen sustainable transport, and cover capital investments, operation, and maintenance for all parts of a public transport system, "from the sidewalk to the subway."