authorizes Federal guarantees of private borrowings to finance land assembly and development costs and a program of supplementary grants to local public bodies to assist in the carrying out of new community assistance projects. During fiscal year 1969-70 it is estimated that up to 10 new communities will be approved for loan guarantees and will thus be eligible for supplementary grants under title IV. Most of these new community proposals will be based on the expectation that surrounding units of general or special-purpose government will help support the new community through utilization of the basic water and sewer facilities and open space land programs of HUD and the domestic water supply and waste disposal systems program of the Department of Agriculture each of which may be supplemental with up to 20 percent new community assistance grants. Extension of the authorization for these grants through fiscal year 1972 is essential if the proposed new communities are to make use of this assistance. COMMUNITY FACILITIES GRANTS Section 306 of the bill would amend section 708 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 to extend the basic authorization for the water and sewer facilities; neighborhood facilities; and advance acquisition of land programs through fiscal year 1972. In addition, the section provides for a new authorization for appropriations of $34 million for the neighborhood facilities program for fiscal year 1972. Extending the authorization for the basic water and sewer facilities program through fiscal year 1972 would provide sufficient authorization to continue this program over the next 2 fiscal years at its current level. There will remain $400 million in unused authorization for this program on June 30, 1970. Extension of the authorization for the advance acquisition of land program through fiscal year 1972 would make available $92.5 million in unused authorization, an amount more than ample to continue that program at its current level of operations. By extending authorization for the neighborhood facilities program through fiscal 1972, $66 million in unused authorizations would become available for appropriation. Given a current program level of $40 million per year and taking into account the likelihood of a continuation in the rise in construction costs, your committee believes that additional authorization for appropriations of $34 million for fiscal year 1972 would be required to maintain current program levels. URBAN MASS TRANSPORTATION Section 307 of the bill would extend for 1 year the urban mass transportation program, to June 30, 1971. If a serious break in the continuity of the program is to be avoided pending enactment of a major new program, extension of the existing program for at least 1 year should be promptly authorized. Should new legislation be passed this year, the 1-year extension would, of course, be superseded. In accordance with the practice followed from the beginning of the program in 1964, a 1-year advance appropriation was provided in 1969 for the fiscal year 1970. The extension of the expiration date until June 30, 1971 would permit a similar advance appropriation for fiscal year 1971. The additional authorization of $300 million is provided to carry the program through fiscal year 1971. This authorization and the consequent appropriation would permit the Urban Mass Transportation Administration to continue to support the general objectives of the Department of Transportation which include: 1. Increasing the economic efficiency of urban transportation; 4. Promoting other national interests such as comprehensive planning for community development in accordance with locally approved community objectives. The philosophy of the program is that transportation is a means of serving community goals and functions rather than being an end in itself. According to the Department of Transportation the proposed funding of $300 million would be allocated approximately as follows: Capital grants__ Technical studies-- Training and university research-- Research, development, and demonstrations___ In millions $222 25 50 This allocation, if provided as the first increment in a major, longterm commitment of resources to urban public transportation would enable the Department to continue and enhance its support of: 1. Major improvements and extensions in the transit systems of larger cities including new rail commuter equipment; continued improvement in the systems of medium-size cities, primarily bus service; and preservation of public transportation which might otherwise be discontinued in smaller communities; 2. Continued improvement in transportation system planning in metropolitan areas; 3. Additional technical and economic feasibility studies as a basis for confident decisions on new or expanded transit systems; 4. Continuation of training and university research programs; and 5. Research and development aimed at significant new urban transportation capabilities. An estimated application backlog in excess of $400 million will be carried forward into fiscal year 1971. Undoubtedly, the knowledge that funds are inadequate to meet requests for assistance already made has discouraged the filing of many additional requests for aid. With this increasing volume of requests for assistance, the selection of projects to be funded will require the application of more rigorous criteria to assure that Federal funds are used to meet only highest priority needs. Such criteria are currently under development. Assistance for technical and planning studies totaling $25 million would enable the Department of Transportation to: 1. Continue assistance for transit management and operations studies directed to the improvement of the quality and efficiency of existing operations; and 2. Embark on a major program of assistance for coordinated transportation systems planning in urban areas. Management training and university research and training grants would continue efforts to relieve the shortage of trained people qualified to develop solutions for urban transportation problems and to carry them out. Research, development, and demonstrations would be directed. toward: 1. The development of new technologies, systems and services offering higher quality and greater efficiency for operators and users and fewer adverse effects on urban development and environment; 2. Identification of better means of financing, regulating, organizing, and managing public transportation; and 3. Structuring and implementation of an information system covering the effects of various systems on the level and quality of transportation costs and services so that these effects can be considered in the evaluation of urban development plans. It is expected that a modest but essential increase in administrative funding and staffing would be allowed to implement this evolutionary growth in the program. Major Program Accomplishments Under the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 Program funds Under the authorization provided in the act and subsequent amendments, the Congress has appropriated $795 million through fiscal year 1970. Program grants and commitments through fiscal year 1969, and the estimated level of commitments for fiscal year 1970 are as follows: 1 Excludes $7,250,000 retained by HUD in fiscal year 1969 under the determination order made pursuant to Reorganiza. tion Plan No. 2 of 1968. Capital grant accomplishments Since the first grants were made in February 1965, the capital grant program has contributed $547.8 million to help finance more than $1 billion in capital improvement projects in 28 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. With this Federal assistance, communities have been able to purchase a total of 2,900 buses, 1,000 rapid transit cars, and 300 commuter cars. In many cases, these grants have enabled the construction of terminal, maintenance, and storage facilities; the rehabilitation of facilities and equipment; and the general upgrading of transit systems. This assistance has literally saved transit systems for at least 25 cities threatened with abandonment or serious curtailment of service—three-fourths of them cities of less than 100,000 population. With grants ranging from about $49,000 to a small southern town (Kenner, La.), to grants in the millions for larger cities, faltering operations have been continued and revived. In large metropolitan areas, the assistance has been critically important in getting improvements underway for millions of daily passengers. Technical studies accomplishments Since the first grant made in December 1966, this program has provided financial assistance aggregating $11.7 million, covering twothirds of the cost of 66 technical planning studies in 28 States and Puerto Rico. This has aided urban centers of every size-11 percent of the grants going to communities of less than 100,000, 56 percent to cities of 100,000 to 1 million, and 33 percent to areas larger than 1 million. Grants have ranged from less than $5,000 to Great Falls, Mont., to determine the feasibility of providing transit service, to more than $24 million to the southern California rapid transit district for the technical planning of a 65-mile rapid transit system. These grants have assisted: Studies to solve short-range transit problems, generally in smaller cities-33 projects, totaling $1.5 million; Transit feasibility studies in larger cities and metropolitan areas— 22 projects, totaling $9.4 million; and Miscellaneous studies, relating to ghetto transit, new towns, suburban centers, and so forth-11 projects totaling $822,000. Training grants and fellowships Since 1966 this program has financed graduate seminars at six universities, funded 59 fellowships, and is assisting the establishment of 16 university-centered transportation institutes and programs. A number of the grants have been made jointly with HUD. Research, development, and demonstrations R.D. & D. began in 1961 as a limited pilot program. Grants totaling $24 million were provided to encourage and assist urban communities to undertake practical demonstrations and experiments with possible solutions to transit problems. Under the broader authority of the 1964 act $50.9 million has been committed for a variety of projects. About 30 percent of the R.D. & D. funds has been used in studies and demonstrations related to bus systems and comparable transit modes, about 40 percent for rail rapid transit and rail commuter service, and the balance for studies relating generally to management, operations, and technological innovation. The results of R.D. & D. are beginning to spread. For example: Express bus service.-Stimulated by UMTA, this type of operation is spreading rapidly. The next step is busways and preferential treatment for buses at intersections and freeway ramps. People movers.-Investment in the Westinghouse Transit Expressway which is designed primarily as a line haul system, has led to offshoots in the form of slower moving, high-capacity "people movers" suitable for circulation systems within airports, downtowns, and other compact major activity centers. The Tampa International Airport and the Seattle-Tacoma Airport have recently placed orders for such automated systems. Park and ride. As a result of Cleveland's privately supported parkand-ride facilities of the mid-1950's and UMTA's support in the early 1960's, construction of both park-and-ride and kiss-and-ride facilities, as well as special feeder bus interconnection points, is now an established principle in the development of all new or improved rail transit facilities. This principle is expected to become increasingly used in conjunction with express bus services. Bus design.--The General Motors RTX bus is a direct result of the UMTA sponsored bus design project of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering. Work on the RTX reflected the findings and recommendations of the project report. Another bus, the minibus, owes its public transit success to the early District of Columbia downtown loop project, which made a strong and reasonably successful effort to obtain a new type of vehicle better designed for easy entry and exit for shoppers and riders taking very short trips. Minibuses are now operating in dozens of cities. Responsive Buses.-The rapidly growing interest in bus service which responds more precisely to what the rider wants-for example, coming to his door to pick him up-is a direct result of the successful Peoria project. Similar experimental services are now operating in Flint, Mich., and Reston, Va. Automatic train controls. As a result of the work performed at Diablo Test Track supported by UMTA, the Bay Area Rapid Transit System decided to adopt ATO for the BARTD system under construction. It will provide a fully automatic capability and result in greater reliability for the rider and operating savings for the company. Automatic fare collections.-UMTA supported experiments in connection with BARTD test track operations have led to a BARTD decision to install advanced fare collection techniques capable of collecting a fully graduated fare. Other systems (PATCO, WMATA, etc.) have installed or plan to install similar systems, making use of the advances brought about through the test track work. EXTENSION OF URBAN INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL AISSISTANCE SERVICE AUTHORIZATION Section 308 of the bill would amend section 906 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 to authorize appropriations for grants to help finance programs of urban information and technical assistance services through fiscal year 1972. Under this program matching grants are made to States to help them provide urban information and technical assistance services to communities of less than 100,000 persons. The present authorization for the program expires with the current fiscal year. The committee feels that the continuation of the title IX program would make a substantial contribution to encouraging State involvement in urban affairs by helping the States to provide |