Metro Local Bus in the San Fernando Valley

Tomorrow morning, public transportation advocacy organizations around the country will be demonstrating in favor of increased federal funding for transit operations. From the Transit Riders for Public Transportation’s press release:

On Wednesday, July 22, the Bus Riders Union will be part of a national day of action by the Transit Riders for Public Transportation national campaign to call on Congress to restore federal funding for transit operations that includes transit advocates, civil rights and environmental justice organizations throughout the country. Advocates including Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, New York and Portland will be calling on their congressional representatives.

The BRU will be at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Western leading a mass education drive highlighting the connection between the need for transit operation funding is related to the service cuts threatening millions of transit riders across the country including bus riders in Los Angeles. With giant banners, call booths and petitions the BRU will be encouraging scores of residents and bus riders to call the Southern California Congressmembers and President Obama to support a greater share for operations funding . The goal of the nationwide coordinated events is to influence the debate over the authorization of the $500 billion Federal Surface Transportation Authorization Act (FSTAA) slated to dedicate roughly 80% of the funding to highways, freeways and roads, while providing only 20% to mass transit. Advocates and transit riders will hold press conferences, rallies, phone-banking drives, and street theater encouraging thousands to call on their congressional representatives to dedicate at least 50 percent of all transit funds in the bill to operate transit systems in response to the crisis across the country.

Nationwide Transit Crisis

Across the United States, major cities and regions are facing massive cuts in transit services, raising fares and implementing regressive measures to make up for declining tax revenues and government support. These cuts hit the most vulnerable communities, predominately low-income and people of color, escalating already-existing economic burdens. The numbers are stark. New York Metro raised fares early this year, while Oakland’s bus operator, AC Transit, announced proposed cuts in service ranging from 15-30% despite a fare increase that went into affect earlier this month. Los Angeles MTA has proposed fare increases for the next 30 years along with the elimination of 120,000 hours of bus service. Portland’s TriMet implemented service cuts in May that eliminated weeknight transit service.

Supporting H.R. 2746 as First Immediate Action

As a major first step towards restoring federal support for transit operations, advocates will urge constituents and bus riders in various congressional districts to call on their Congressional Representatives to co-sponsor the H.R. 2746 (Rep. Carnahan – MO). The marker bill would allow transit agencies in urbanized areas of over 1 million to use up to 30% of their federal transit capital funds for operations, and grant even more flexibility for smaller urbanized areas. In contrast, the FSTA currently allows only 5% of federal transit capital funds to be used for operation in large urbanized areas.

New Opportunities to Improve the Environment

The U.S. must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% over the next twenty years if it is to meet the goal of achieving a 90% cut in emissions by 2050. Congress has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create first class transit systems and dramatically curb emissions with the passage the FSTAA. As a first step, the bill must preserve the integrity of our current transit systems and provide the funding to operate them at full capacity.

The TRPT campaign calls on the Obama Administration and Congress to break with the last two decades of favoring toxic highway expansion by making massive investments in a clean-fuel, world-class transportation systems that meet both the needs of transit riders and international emissions-reduction targets.

Member organizations of the Transit Riders for Public Transportation campaign will be in Washington on Tuesday to advocate better funding of public transportation in the renewed Federal Surface Transportation Act.  Along with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, they will be hosting a Congressional briefing on the importance of transit.

Want to take action?  Learn more about the issue by watching the quick 20-minute video below.  Then call your Representative and let him/her know that you want to avoid service cuts and fare hikes by using federal money for transit operating expenses.

The federal government’s transportation funding bill is up for reauthorization this fall.  The current law, SAFETEA-LU, was in many ways a step backwards from the intermodal policies laid out in its predecessor, ISTEA.  Reauthorization this fall is an opportunity for transit advocates to come together and challenge the dominance of the auto and highway lobbies, and mainstream media is starting to give this opportunity some coverage.  CQ Politics gives an overview:

For more than half a century, highway advocates have been the loudest voices on transportation policy, but that may change this year as some lawmakers push to include more funding for public transit in the next authorization bill.

The article goes on to discuss the political battles of trying to increase funding for transit.  While many highway and trucking groups would support an increase in the gasoline tax, they would withdraw their support if some of that revenue was put towards transit.  So even though lawmakers are discussing ways to increase gasoline taxes and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), they still may cave in to the highway lobby and underfund transit.  To learn more, check out the Transit Riders for Public Transportation campaign.