Chicago parking concession big win for investors, hard on curb management

In 2008 the city of Chicago made a deal to allow a private company to run and receive all revenues from parking meters. The concession has been widely denounced as a bad deal for taxpayers. Critics of the deal often point to the missed opportunity of parking revenue. Others note that the concession makes the city less nimble when implementing innovative curbside solutions for transit, cycling, and placemaking. Recent analysis shows how the deal is working out for the city and private investors.

A Bid for Better Transit (Transit Center and Eno Center for Transportation, 2017)

This report examines how governments can use contracting to improve their service for riders and take advantage of new technologies. However, they also caution that there are important considerations to safeguard the public interest and get the most from public-private transit partnerships.

A Bid for Better Transit (Transit Center and Eno Center for Transportation, 2017)

This report examines how governments can use contracting to improve their service for riders and take advantage of new technologies. However, they also caution that there are important considerations to safeguard the public interest and get the most from public-private transit partnerships.

Shifting the transit-funding paradigm: Transit finance grows up

Development of creative financing and new revenue sources for transportation projects remains a hot topic in transportation circles. Public-private partnerships exist in highway transportation, often using tolls as the revenue source to attract private investment. Transit P3s, however, remain behind the curve in development of policies and best practices. A P3 proposed for the Purple Line light rail in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, illustrates new opportunities for funding a major capital transit investment with a combination of public and private funding.

VA Supreme Court: Tunnel tolls are user fees, not taxes

In a ruling denounced by the Portsmouth business community and commuters, but applauded by VDOT, the Virginia Supreme Court unanimously overturned a ruling by a lower court that held the tolls imposed to pay for tunnel expansions and maintenance in Portsmouth are unconstitutionally-imposed taxes. The Supreme Court instead ruled that the tolls are indeed user fees for the benefit of those that use the tunnels, not the general public. The tolls are being used solely to pay for the project, not to raise general revenue; and drivers are not compelled to use the tunnels, so can avoid the tolls. VDOT worried that if the lower court ruling stood it could hamper private-public partnerships in other parts of the state and call into question the entire Public Private Transportation Act of 1995.

VA Supreme Court: Tunnel tolls are user fees, not taxes

In a ruling denounced by the Portsmouth business community and commuters, but applauded by VDOT, the Virginia Supreme Court unanimously overturned a ruling by a lower court that held the tolls imposed to pay for tunnel expansions and maintenance in Portsmouth are unconstitutionally-imposed taxes. The Supreme Court instead ruled that the tolls are indeed user fees for the benefit of those that use the tunnels, not the general public. The tolls are being used solely to pay for the project, not to raise general revenue; and drivers are not compelled to use the tunnels, so can avoid the tolls. VDOT worried that if the lower court ruling stood it could hamper private-public partnerships in other parts of the state and call into question the entire Public Private Transportation Act of 1995.

Private transit funding, public good?

Businesses have been funding private employee shuttles and buses for some time, and subsidized or fully-funded transit passes have become a common employee benefit, but sneaker company New Balance may have set a new bar for transit subsidies by building a new commuter rail station. As funding is cut and costs rise, transit agencies must decide whether the private shuttles and services funded by private sources fits with the overall transit plan for the area.

Private transit funding, public good?

Businesses have been funding private employee shuttles and buses for some time, and subsidized or fully-funded transit passes have become a common employee benefit, but sneaker company New Balance may have set a new bar for transit subsidies by building a new commuter rail station. As funding is cut and costs rise, transit agencies must decide whether the private shuttles and services funded by private sources fits with the overall transit plan for the area.

Demand for transit continues to grow; underfunded transit agencies work to meet the need

While demand for public transit continues to grow nationally, transit agencies are facing decreasing federal and state aid. In response, cities and counties served by transit are working with the private sector and other public agencies to develop nontraditional partnerships for funding the growth in their systems. Innovative partnerships—and revenues through levying local taxes—allow transit agencies that are bursting at the seams to improve service, make capital investments, and offer more efficient routes that often result in further ridership increases.

Alternatives to the Public Funding and Operation of Colorado's Rest Areas (Colorado DOT, 2013)

As Colorado DOT continues to close rest areas due to tight budgets, it should look for alternatives to fund their operation and maintenance. These alternatives include small-scale strategies such selling tourism related items or lottery tickets, and a large-scale strategy that includes developing a commercialized rest area outside of the interstate right of way through a public-private partnership. In addition, CDOT could advocate for changes to federal law.