Why? 34 million times each weekday, board public transportation. Nearly seven decades ago we set out with a clear purpose: connect our cities and rural areas and states with high-speed interstates and highways for cars and trucks and make travel all about speed. We’ve moved from the exponential returns of building brand new connections where they didn’t exist to the diminishing, marginal returns of spending billions to add a new lane of road here and there, which promptly fills up with new traffic. 4 m illion in 2024‑25 and ongoing) from the State Highway Account (SHA) to augment funding for the Litter Abatement Program. From what I can see, Singapore has shown that congestion pricing is the medicine we need. Funding policy needs a priority change at both federal and state levels. By Jason Warner, GOPC Manager of Government Affairs. We connected places that weren’t well-connected before and reaped the economic benefits (while also dividing and obliterating some communities along the way). “Every year since 2008, there has been a gap between the dedicated tax revenues flowing into the Why are we spending $50 billion a year? Transit access make a difference to our economy, environment, and quality of life: Under current law, transit systems in areas above 200,000 in population cannot use their federal transit funds for operating assistance, putting a huge strain on their ability to maintain service. This is evident in the Department’s Conditions & Performance Report to Congress, which found an $86 billion backlog of bus and rail transit assets that need to be repaired or replaced, and … So let’s stop limping along and spending billions with an unclear purpose and marginal returns. Those who get a little money want a bigger piece of the pie. $220,000: TN: Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency At present, funding for NEW tollway lane mileage lessens money for maintenance on existing streets and roads. No taxes are used for the funding of the incentive program. We won’t be able to meet this need if we continue to allocate the lion’s share of federal transportation funds to highway expansion. General Revenue Fund dollars: The state provides just over $7 million a year for public transportation through the General Revenue Fund (GRF) agency line item 775451. • Overall spending from the Mass Transit Account for FTA formula grants would be $16.6 billion (a somewhat staggering 53.7 percent increase from this year’s level of $10.8 billion). The source of funding is state taxpayer dollars. Does anyone doubt Congress’s ability to successfully spend money? Increasing flexibility would create more jobs, faster, greener and with broader benefits. Pingback: Advocacy Group: Stop Spending On New Roads – Streetsblog USA, Pingback: Rail-Related News, September 22 – October 7, 2019 | Train Riders Association of California, Pingback: The Week Observed, October 11, 2019 | City Observatory. Almost all of these increases have come in the form of higher sales taxes approved by voters, and the vast majority of increases on the ballot have been approved by voters. See T4America’s new principles and outcomes for federal transportation policy >>. Increase flexibility for transit funding to be spent on operations, No on Prop 22: New mobility should move toward equity, not away from it. Taxpayers deserve to know what they’re getting for their spending. A Brooklyn native, Mr. Schumer has been a staunch supporter of public transit and has played a crucial role in securing funding for transit agencies during last year’s stimulus negotiations. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is recommending that Congress increase its funding of transit systems in the U.S. by $11.5 billion per year. • Funding levels for transit from 2015-2020 were agreed to during long deliberations in Congress on a new long-term transportation law. We’ll be back here on Monday as we unveil our principles. Housing and Transportation Affordability 4. It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure beyond just the price tag. Sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees, but you have made the right decision. ... Arlington looks to improve access to public transportation, bike parking facilities and the promotion of carpool options. Road Traffic Fatalities Exposure Rate 9. Why in the world would we just pour more money into a program that is “devoid of any broad, ambitious vision for the future, and [in which] more spending has only led to more roads, more traffic, more pollution, more inequality, and a lack of transportation options,” as I wrote in the Washington Post during Infrastructure Week? Letter: Please Increase Emergency Relief Funding for Transit Workers. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is retooling its plan for how to spend Measure B tax dollars after several cities protested the VTA's plan to spend most of the money on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) extension to downtown San Jose. This funding level is a reduction of 3.7 percent (-$503 million) below the FY 2019 enacted funding level. “Even with that $50 million added, NJ Transit acknowledged it would be facing at least a $86 million deficit for the upcoming year. @BethOsborneT4A has it right - @USDOT's #climate priorities need to put people first - transit, bikeable, walkable commun… 1 day ago, "Everything @USDOT does to make it safer, more welcoming to move around outside your car is a climate project," our… https://t.co/iSQ9I9SnWU 1 day ago. Since our inception in 2008, Transportation for America has always primarily advocated for reforming the federal transportation program. Every time federal transportation reauthorization comes up, we hear endless cries about the poor state of our crumbling infrastructure. It would also increase the state’s corporate minimum tax to fund transportation projects. The current high federal share means states don’t have to put very much skin in the game or prioritize their projects, they can just spend federal money. House Democrats on Friday announced they plan to introduce amendments to the transportation bill to increase transit funding. With the conversation about money put behind us, on Monday we’re releasing three new principles for what we expect this upcoming surface transportation bill to accomplish. HTF and the cost of the surface transportation spending Congress has authorized. We need a clear set of explicit goals for the federal program. Increased fares Sixth, public transport fares could increase as services are improved, particularly on premium trunk services, but only if the other … If so, I’m truly disappointed. And then both political parties come together in a “bipartisan” way to grow the pie and keep everyone happy. The Federal Transit Administration noted on January 19 that 37 projects will share of $15.8 million in funding to support strategies that “develop, deploy, and demonstrate solutions” for making COVID-19 related transit operational efficiency and rider mobility improvements. HIRTA, a program that provides rural transit in central Iowa, requested a 225% increase in funding from the Ames City Council through the ASSET program. The Governor proposes an increase of $31. In recent years, most increases in public transit funding support have come at the local level. “Public transportation is an investment in working people and working economies.” Funding cuts for the PVTA that result in route and service … public transportation. T4America has concluded that more money devoted to this same flawed system will just do more damage. What’s next for Transportation for America – opposing states from hiking gas taxes if you don’t like their investment policies? The City of Seattle’s Proposition 1 concerns funding for transit and related transportation needs in Seattle. Most public transportation systems are grossly under-funded and lack enough service to meet commuter demands. Council member Julie Eiselt, a … Your policy change, to drop an increase in transportation funding, is music to the ears of a few fiscal conservatives and some moderates (myself included). Please be brave enough to prescribe it! Soon the local MPO (transportation funding) board here will decide to vote upon a “roll forward” program sponsored by the state DOT which includes ramp and interchange additions for less than seven (7) miles of an interstate highway at over $4.03 billion. • All FTA formula grant funding in FY 2021 would be at a 100 percent federal share, requiring no state or local match. Another interstate route, highly congested I-95, will see toll lane additions at a cost of over $58 million per mile during three years of construction. It is time to give priority funding to passenger travel by rail: high speed, conventional inter-city and commuter. How many bridges are structurally deficient, how poor our roads are, the long backlogs of neglected maintenance, the (severely inflated) costs of congestion, perhaps even a few voices about the alarming increase in people struck and killed while walking…the list of woes goes on and on. © Copyright 2013-2017 Transportation For America | All Rights Reserved. With public transportation taking a beating during the pandemic, transit advocates hope that the incoming Biden administration will approve federal funding to support floundering systems and improve service across the country. Meanwhile, the nearly parallel regional commuter rail line announced fare increases (To lessen travel demand?) If approved, this proposition authorizes up to 0.15% sales and use tax expiring April 1, 2027, and as proposed in Ordinance 126115, to replace the current voter-approved 0.1% sales tax, expiring December 31, 2020. Well done. But raising the gas tax or otherwise raising new funding overall has also been a core plank of our platform since 2013. We all have supreme confidence in their ability to spend hundreds of billions of dollars. A better approach would be to increase reliance on user fees and to expand the role of state and local governments and private firms in funding and managing transportation infrastructure. But raising the gas tax or otherwise raising new funding overall has also been a core plank of our platform since 2013. Yet only 17.7% of federal transportation funding dollars go to public transportation, as opposed to highways, and those funds are largely restricted to capital expenses (buying new buses), not operating expenses (paying bus drivers). Any cut to transit funding is a repudiation of the bipartisan agreement made in 2015 (the FAST Act) and the historic 80/20 split for highways and transit funding. There should also be a uniform federal share across all project modes – transit, commuter rail, aviation and highways. Increase in gasoline taxes and vehicles fees SB 1 will raise $52 billion in new transportation revenue by raising the gasoline tax — unchanged in 23 years — by 12 cents (to 30 cents per gallon), increasing diesel taxes by 20 cents (to 36 cents per gallon) and creating a … These brand new highways made things like cross-country and inter-state travel easier than we ever imagined possible. The problem, at least in part, is that we simply have too much that serves the wrong goals, and preserving it mindlessly is no answer. The Ohio General Assembly was able to come together and pass the state transportation budget after reaching agreement on record funding for public transportation and an increase in both the state motor fuel and diesel taxes. Time to dramatically redirect funding to modes that decrease carbon emissions, not for expenditures that keep them where they are. I think you should also mention the role of road building on increasing VMT and climate change …and how “Preservation First” policies in most states aren’t working …and how funding for HOV or FAST lanes has just opened up new revenue streams for state DOTs to build yet more roads. What the program should be about is accountability to the American taxpayer—making a few clear, concrete, measurable promises and then delivering on them. Public transportation Trips per Capita 7. We believe that whether Congress decides to spend more money or less, these three things should be paramount. And then, predictably, states, interest groups, members of Congress and others call for more money for the federal transportation program as the only logical solution, with no clear promises made for how this money will solve any of the problems outlined above or precisely what will be better or different after five years of spending yet billions more. January 22, 2021, 8am PST | Diana Ionescu | @aworkoffiction. See the national map of service cuts at: t4america.org/resources/transitfundingcrisis/, 1. What is it supposed to accomplish? Transportation funding plan would increase gas taxes ... bridges and public transit. Most highway funding comes from taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, but a growing number of vehicles use alternative fuels and do not pay their share of highway costs. New construction in all modes should require a higher percentage of local match than maintenance and repair programs. The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act was signed into law in December 2015. What we have IS the problem. Good start! Due to these factors, transit agencies nationwide are being forced to cut service, raise fares, and lay off workers. What are we doing? Commute Mode Share 2. Public transportation is a $71 billion industry that employs more than 420,000 people. We’ve never really updated those broad goals from 1956 in a meaningful way. We are literally loosing entire populations at such a high rate that unless we make drastic changes to how we move as a people, our ecosystem will fall apart and eventually fail to support even us. 8 m illion in 2020‑21 (growing to $43. The Bay Area is not alone. In 2017, Americans took 10.1 billion trips on public transportation. Since 1996, public transportation ridership has increased by 31%—a growth rate higher than the 20% increase in U.S. population. Complete Streets Policies 3. Our question is whether that money can be spent in a way that accomplishes something tangible and measurable for the American people. 1. With the release of our brand new policy platform and principles coming this Monday, Transportation for America is no longer asking Congress to provide an increase in money for federal transportation program. Learn more about T4America's three simple principles for federal transportation investment. Please don’t fall for the so-called “common sense” of maintaining what we have. Those who get money want more flexibility to spend it however they want. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R45350.pdf Pingback: Transportation For America – Explaining our three principles for transportation investment. For as long as I’ve been working in transportation and probably longer, the debate surrounding the federal transportation program has been a one-note affair: a never-ending fight over who gets money and how much money they get. The work I do in the environment with species of concern, is seeing such drastic declines in population mostly due to roads and animal fatality by car. Why we are no longer advocating for Congress to increase transportation funding. A rural transit program's door-to-door service in Ames is at risk as federal funding is no longer available to subsidize rides in city limits. The 2018-19 budget increases flex funding for public transit by $10 million a year over the FY 2016-17 budget. We need major changes! Last year, Americans took more than 10.7 billion trips on transit, the highest level in over fifty years. Now, the agency's revised plan will reallocate the funding to support … But note that “fix it first” has proven to be a Trojan horse for more of the same. RT @annshikany: . Does Transportation for America oppose hiking the federal gas tax, unchanged since 1993? April 22, 2020 < Back to Latest. Congratulations. It’ll force highways to compete with all other forms of transit and significantly increase demand for those more people friendly ways of getting from A to B. Nationally, voters approved 90% of transit proposals last year, according to the American Public Transportation Association. With the release of our brand new policy platform and … Stop funding more road widening projects to support single occupant vehicles, and use that money to develop the public transportation system which can better use existing roads. The legislation provides $12.9 billion for public transportation in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. Today, they don’t, and nothing about the debate so far in 2019 with Congress has indicated that will change. The West River Transit Authority, Inc. will receive funding to expand services and increase customer access for transportation to medical and wellness appointments in rural and transit-dependent communities with a smartphone app for ride booking, cancellation and confirmation. $143.6 billion to the HTF…” We should not have such few options in transport that fail to serve the entire environment as a whole. Congress has filled these shortfalls by transfers, largely from the general fund, that have shifted a total of So we’ve scrapped “provide real funding” from our core principles. I hope the new policy includes lowering the federal share for new highway projects below the current 80%. RELEASE: The emergency funding for transit and Amtrak is good but not enough, Over 160 elected officials and organizations support fundamental changes to the federal transportation program, Transportation for America’s statement on Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary nominee, How we ranked Pete Buttigieg’s transportation plan during his presidential campaign. Road Traffic Fatalities by Mode 8. Where do you think those states will find the money to spend on roads? According to the Congressional Research Service paper, “Funding and Financing Highways and Public transportation use has increased 38 percent since 1995 — nearly triple the growth rate of the population. Their ideas cannot advance without support from … More can be accomplished currently with locally funded efforts than nationally funded efforts. Since our inception in 2008, Transportation for America has always primarily advocated for reforming the federal transportation program. Increase public transportation funding in the next federal transportation bill, 2. Pingback: Today’s Headlines – Streetsblog California. Transportation for America is an advocacy organization made up of local, regional and state leaders who envision a transportation system that safely, affordably and conveniently connects people of all means and ability to jobs, services, and opportunity through multiple modes of travel. The program should focus on what we’re getting for the funds we’re spending—not simply whether or not money gets spent and how much there was. New research from the Urban Institute shows that an annual investment of $17 billion into public transit systems in urban areas with over 100,000 would make … Enter your email address to receive all blog posts & releases via email. Public transportation use has increased 38 percent since 1995 — nearly triple the growth rate of the population. [Above photo by the Utah Transit Authority.] At the same time California’s public transit agencies are working to serve their increasing ridership, they face shortfalls in state and local revenues brought on by the recession and the contentious state budget. Miles Traveled by Mode 5. If the gas tax isn’t increased, that just means more money will come from the federal General Fund to keep up transportation spending, i.e., your policy only ensures further subsidization of driving. See– https://streets.mn/2019/04/09/why-you-should-oppose-a-gas-tax-increase/, Pingback: Transportation for America não exige mais financiamento para novas estradas e rodovias | Blog Ambiental, Pingback: Transportation For America – Members of Congress launch a new caucus on transportation policy. This two-dimensional debate always leaves out an urgently needed conversation about the purpose of this federal transportation program. Principles for Universal Curbside Language & Standards, Why we are no longer advocating for Congress to increase transportation funding, Today’s Headlines – Streetsblog California, Transportation For America – Explaining our three principles for transportation investment, Advocacy Group: Stop Spending On New Roads – Streetsblog USA, Rail-Related News, September 22 – October 7, 2019 | Train Riders Association of California, The Week Observed, October 11, 2019 | City Observatory, https://streets.mn/2019/04/09/why-you-should-oppose-a-gas-tax-increase/, Transportation for America não exige mais financiamento para novas estradas e rodovias | Blog Ambiental, Transportation For America – Members of Congress launch a new caucus on transportation policy. Public Transportation,” updated June 7, 2019: Again, funding priorities need to change (10-04-2019). for the service. Yet only 17.7% of federal transportation funding dollars go to public transportation, as opposed to highways, and those funds are largely restricted to capital expenses (buying new buses), not operating expenses (paying bus drivers). And about time. According to a national poll, four in five Americans - 82% - believe that the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved public transportation system. Physical Activity from Transportation 6. Good Day Beth Osborne, As a resident of suburbia in an area where public transportation is virtually nonexistent, at times adding 5 hours of time to what should be a 1 hour commute round trip, I look forward to seeing your new initiatives. $516 million for Transit Infrastructure Grants programs, which received a modest $6 million increase. Learn more about T4America's three simple principles for federal transportation investment. The program was developed to influence car owners to use the county's bus service and the TIP program is helping to increase ridership. The five-year, $494 billion surface transportation bill released by the Democratic majority within the House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure committee on June 3 aims to direct monies from the Highway Trust Fund to a spate of new formula and discretionary grant programs. Its rail coaches (some of which are not disability compliant) and some of its locomotives are now thirty (30) years old, To compare, Germany has cut it ticket tax by one-half for travel by rail both to lessen auto traffic congestion and for environmental reasons. The act, which supports transit funding through fiscal year 2020, reauthorizes FTA programs and includes changes to improve mobility, streamline capital project construction and acquisition, and increase the safety of public transportation systems across the country. https://www.cdc.gov/policy/hst/hi5/publictransportation/index.html VMT per Capita It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure beyond just the price tag. “Last year’s proposed $25 million increase in operating funding for NJ Transit was woefully inadequate, which is why we fought so hard to add $50 million to the budget,” she said. The funding package included $14 billion to help public transit agencies across the country facing severe revenue shortages as a result of COVID-19. Given the likelihood that worsening litter conditions will continue, we recommend that the Legislature approve the Governor’s proposal to increase funding for the program. investment in maintaining and recapitalizing our public transportation system. Does anyone know anymore? The subsidy increase is capped by Virginia and Maryland at 3 percent. Whereas the 2016 budget for major transit capital expenditures was $2.2 billion, this list includes federal commitments for the $3.5 billion corresponding to the increase in funding the president is proposing for transportation overall—in other words, far more than Congress is likely to approve. Includes $2.8 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, $27 million above FY 2020 levels; $375 million is for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, which is $50 million above FY 2020 levels. Access to public transportation project modes – transit, commuter rail line announced fare increases ( to lessen travel?. 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