Minnesota is daring its legislators to think about mass transportation. The Transportation Choices 2020 spears the issues:
It is time for transit advocates to capitalize on the public’s growing desire for expanded transit in Minnesota. TLC – in partnership with allied organizations and legislators – have introduced the Transportation Choices 2020 initiative.
The Transportation Choices 2020 initiative will provide funding to dramatically expand the availability of public transit and facilities for bicycling and walking in Minnesota. This public investment in our shared infrastructure will build community and ensure that everyone in the state has transportation options. Specifically it will:
- Double bus service by 2020,
- Create better transit facilities and new Park & Ride capacity,
- Construct eight dedicated bus and rail transitways by 2020, and
- Provide revenue to local governments for transit, bicycle & pedestrian projects,
New revenue will be raised by instituting a four-tenths of a cent regional sales tax in the metropolitan area. The bill is estimated to increase funding for transit beyond passage of the Transportation Amendment by $233 million annually. See the Initiative Summary and the Questions & Answers for more details about the initiative.
Minnesota got there by way of a non profit group, Transit for Livable Communities, founded in 1996 to promote transit oriented development, walking, biking, and other forms of mass transportation. They even got $25 million federal grant that ordinarily would be run by the Department of Transportation. As a result last June Minneapolis opened light rail service. From their newsletter:
The growing commitment to light rail transit is not a trendy craze over a new technology. In certain high capacity corridors LRT is proven to provide real benefits over building more lanes or adding bus service. LRT offers a much more pleasant ride than the hassle of negotiating traffic in a car or on a bus, attracting many more riders than a bus would on the same route. These riders will increase the foot traffic around stations and will, with community support, attract compact, mixed use developments that are more efficient and pedestrian-friendly.
Nearly all major US and Canadian regions have recognized these benefits of rail transit, and have already included rail transit in their transportation systems. At the start of 2004, only four of the 25
largest metro areas in the US did not Hiawatha LRT Launch, have rail transit systems. With the
opening of Houston’s light rail line in January, the Twin Cities’ line opening this June, and Phoenix beginning construction of its line this summer — only Detroit will be left without.
Fairfield County?
3 responses so far ↓
1 Anonymous // Jul 19, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I don’t care how high gas prices go, I will NEVER get on a bus in Norwalk, Stamford or any other Connecticut city. eeeeewwwww.
2 Aunt Bertha // Jul 19, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I have been on buses and trains in New Haven, Washington DC, Mass, New York and other large cities in the US. #1 don’t turn your nose up if it is a clean system where it is easy on easy off and can bring you close to your destination I would leave my car behind every day. That said, Connecticut needs to shine and can at accomplishing a mass transit system that works for more than Hartford and Stamford. Stamford companies have shuttle vans for employees so does Hartford and Bridgeport. More needs to be organized in the congested areas of southern CT.
3 driver's roads // Jul 22, 2008 at 7:31 am
From the Smart Growth site which compiles news from various sources…
Gas Price Relief Act Would Offer More Choices for Commuters, Preserve Affordable Housing Near Transit
”Long the 2nd biggest expense — after housing — in a family budget, transportation costs are now eating into funds needed for other critical items, such as food, education, health care, retirement saving, and even vacation plans,” wrote Oregon Democratic Congressman Earl Blumenauer in an online Planetizen op-ed before he introduced the Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act (H.R. 6495), stressing, ”we’ve seen the last of the cheap oil on which we’ve built our economy, our communities, and our daily lives.”
Agreeing with former Maryland Democratic Governor Parris Glendening, now Smart Growth Leadership Institute President, that the global-competition-driven oil shortage can’t be cured ”by increasing our domestic supply,” because even ”if we drained America’s oil supply dry, our 3 percent of the world’s total is a mere drop in the bucket,” Congressman Blumenauer pointed out that ”the solution is clearly not more oil, but less demand.”
His bill — co-sponsored by Democratic Representatives Jerry McNerney, Hilda Solis and Ellen Tausher of California and Jay Inslee of Washington, along with Republican Representative Chris Shays of Connecticut — seeks to ”equip American families with the means to live better with less oil.”
Congressman Blumenauer lists six bill goals.
One, to increase commuter choices ”by equalizing the transportation fringe benefit” between those who drive and those who take transit, bike, use car pools or telecommute, including the self-employed — all allowed to ”to cash in their parking benefit.”
Two, to help public transit agencies cover rising fuel costs ”by providing federal funds for fare subsidies, service improvements, fuel purchases, and technology assistance,” and requiring the Federal Transit Administration to include land use, density, economic development and carbon emission reduction factors in evaluations of Streetcar proposals.
Three, to assist communities ”by providing additional funding for the successful Safe Routes to School program and expanding it to include high schools.”
Four, to provide families with more housing options ”by expanding the Location-Efficient Mortgage program and providing funds to help states acquire, construct, and preserve affordable housing close to public transit.”
Fifth, to make the federal government a better partner ”by providing transportation fringe benefits to all federal employees,” and encouraging agency participation in local Transportation Management Associations.
And sixth, to assist smaller cities and rural communities by making them eligible for a portion of the funds going to large cities and metropolitan regions.
”By investing in American families and communities instead of our gas tanks,” Representative Blumenauer wrote, ”we can reduce gas prices, reduce our long-term oil dependency, and create more livable, sustainable communities in the bargain.”
Congratulating Representative Blumenauer on the bill, 16 transit, smart growth and environmental organizations — including the American Public Transportation Association, Smart Growth America, the American Planning Association and the Environmental Defense Funds — said in a letter ”this bill will foster timely solutions to reduce our dependence on oil and our national vulnerability to the movements of the oil markets.” — Planetizen, Grist.org 7/16/2008