For far too long, policymakers in Washington have prioritized moving cars over moving people. This approach has devastating impacts not only for the climate crisis but on the budgets of local transit agencies and the communities they serve.
Our organization, America Walks, works to ensure everyone can freely move around their communities with dignity. For many workers, families, and individuals, transit is an essential link in their daily travel, which means it is essential to our communities.
Transit deserves to be supported just like the federal government supports the cost of operating aviation through air traffic control and the cost of shipping through investment in ports and the management of locks and dams in the inland waterways. These are critical services for the movement of goods and people.
A new piece of legislation introduced last month by Congressman Hank Johnson from the Atlanta area will do just that. The bill, Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act, will provide high-quality transit to communities across the country.
While Congress has taken vital steps in recent years to fund transit, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the fact of the matter is that the lack of congressional action on operations funding, which this latest bill would provide, has led to critical funding shortfalls at numerous transit agencies and has left many in fiscal trouble.
This vital piece of legislation would create a new formula grant program available to all transit agencies to increase service frequency and dependability so that people don’t have to wait so long for the bus, to provide additional hours of service so that those who don’t work white-collar hours can still get to their jobs; and to add new, frequent service to underserved communities.
The truth of the matter is that transit is a driver of economic growth, jobs, and opportunity for many residents. Tens of millions of people in the US—from small rural towns to major urban centers—rely on public transit to get to work every day, generating trillions of dollars in economic activity. Every dollar invested in transit offers a 5-to-1 return, and every $1 billion invested in public transit produces 50,000 jobs. Transit agencies are often among the largest employers in their cities.
The COVID pandemic and recovery forever changed how our communities function, work, socialize, and commute. It also dramatically showed that public transit is essential to our community, local economy, and the lives of millions of people across the country. Essential workers depend on and operate transit, small businesses depend on transit, and historically marginalized communities depend on transit. Transit is a key component of economic recovery and a more environmentally sustainable society, and it’s a road to equity for disconnected communities—rural, urban, and suburban.
Good transit is also great for walkability, which is great for health. For example, people living in walkable areas are significantly less likely to have diabetes or heart disease.
We also know the climate crisis is not coming; it is here now. And it’s getting worse by the day. We’ve seen it all around us on a near daily basis. It is impacting our economy and nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Investing in public transit is one of the top ways we can help address the climate crisis on the scale that is needed.
In other words, an investment in transit by policymakers would be a win-win. A win economically and a win in our efforts to address the climate crisis.
And it is far past time for Washington to ensure that public transit does not just recover from COVID but expands to create more sustainable and prosperous communities.
Mike McGinn is the executive director for America Walks and former Mayor of Seattle.
Some basic ideas:
Build a robust extensive nationwide high speed rail network, instead of new airport runways.
Invest in infrastructure in quarters. 1/4 pedestrian 1/4 bikes 1/4 cars 1/4 transit. If too much is in cars, don’t build more of that (but DO repair existing lanes).
This bill is DOA this term. Maybe next year.
As long as MAGA’s are running the national government, “invest in transit” still means more single-occupancy vehicles, preferably pickup trucks that only get 3 MPG, After all, how are you supposed to put a gun rack and a Trump bumper sticker on a Metro Bus?
I’ve been using Metro a lot more since they opened the Nothgate train station. Fast, no parking worries, it’s even clean. Now if they can just start running the trains more often than half-an-hour apart.
And you hardly ever seen Texas license plates on a Metro bus or one of their little Toonerville Trollies.
@3
You’re right. There are no gun racks or MAGA bumper stickers on the bus, but there is exposure to fentanyl and meth. Ride it long enough and you’ll likely stick yourself with a needle one of the friendly neighborhood addicts left behind. I used to work for metro transit and the cleaning crews came across needles and other fun things addicts left behind all the time.
But hey at least you won’t have to sit with people whose opinions are different than yours.
Our last decent mayor.