Funding cuts and uneven investment in rural areas have left millions of Americans trapped without adequate transportation.

Dwindling funding for transit systems, particularly those in less dense, non-urban areas, is having a major impact on rural Americans who don't own cars or are unable to drive.
While conversation around public transit tends to focus on big cities, many people in small towns and rural communities also depend on it. "For many Americans, public transit is the only option to get to work, school, the grocery store, or doctor’s appointments. But nearly half of us have no access to public transit. And those that do are now confronting limited routes, slashed service times, and limited disability accommodations," writes Kayla Soren. For people with disabilities, the burden of reduced transit is even greater. "Over 80 percent of young adults with disabilities are prevented from doing daily activities due to a lack of transportation," and overstretched transit agencies often don't have the resources to accommodate riders with disabilities.
With millions of Americans lacking access to public transit and many more forced to depend on inadequate transportation, Soren argues that Congress should step in with emergency relief and increased federal funding to public transit agencies, including an adjustment to "the '80-20' split that’s plagued federal transit funding since the Reagan era — with 80 percent going to highways and less than 20 percent to public transit." Although commonly justified by the belief that only residents of big cities use transit, "this is upside-down logic. The hearings reveal that when people don’t use transit, it’s because it is nonexistent, unreliable, or inaccessible."
FULL STORY: Small Towns And Rural Communities Need Transit, Too

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
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Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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