Although federal transit funding is traditionally reserved for capital improvement and infrastructure projects, advocates argue that funding improved service could have transformative impacts on transit-dependent communities.
In a blog post, TransitCenter, a New York-based transit advocacy organization, joins other transit advocates in a call to making public transit funding a federal priority long after pandemic-related emergency measures are lifted. COVID-19 only served to highlight existing gaps in transit service and the stark inequities faced by transit users. "[A]fter the pandemic recedes, a federal program to support transit service could yield immense dividends," the blog notes.
"In most American cities, the fundamental shortcoming of transit is its sheer scarcity." Allowing "transit agencies to spend federal funds to run buses and trains" after the pandemic, while "a break with longstanding policy," is "the fastest way to deliver better transit networks, improve the experience of current riders, and increase ridership" through increased service.
TransitCenter offers an analysis of the projected effects of a $20 billion investment in transit service nationwide, which, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute, could "be more than enough to bring transit service in every U.S. urban area up to the level in the Chicago region." Such a program, TransitCenter argues, could yield immense benefits for transit riders. "Instead of cutting people off from opportunity, condemning households to struggle with high transportation costs, and overheating the planet, our transportation systems can advance economic fairness, racial equity, and climate action."
Read the full story: Envisioning a Federal Program to Increase Transit Service
‘It’s Been 50 years’: Public Transit Law Passes in Montana
Legislation would fix transportation district issue, allow for greater reach on city bus routes.
New Orleans Transit Struggles to Maintain Service
Regional transit agencies, already forced to make cuts, are calling for state funding to help them maintain service and access federal grant opportunities.
Opinion: California Transit Systems Need State Support
California provides far less in state funding to public transit agencies than other states. Transit advocates say this must change to improve transit service, bring back ridership, and reduce air pollution from the transportation sector.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Raised interest rates may kill financially vulnerable construction projects
The chief economist at ConstructConnect warns that if construction project owners are negatively impacted by the raised rates, it could result in delayed payments to contractors.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello