As President Obama and the 111th Congress set about the work of putting our economy back on track, they also face the task of determining which investments in our aging infrastructure will further that goal.
The most significant decisions will be around the economic recovery package and reauthorizing the Transportation Bill, a funding measure that will set the nation’s transportation priorities for the next six years. These bills will allocate hundreds of billions of dollars toward transportation projects—both highways and public transit.
Investment In The Future
For too long, we’ve thrown money at building more “roads and bridges to nowhere,” rather than making smart investments in public transportation. Now, the new president and Congress have a chance to change our transportation priorities.
The Transportation Bill guides the federal expenditure of just over $50 billion annually for public transit, rail, highway, bicycle and pedestrian facilities and services across the country.
The money is used by state transportation departments, local and regional transit agencies, and metropolitan planning organizations, among others. The economic recovery package promises billions more in infrastructure aid.
Investment in modern public transportation projects such as high-speed rail and rapid bus systems will help shield Americans from wildly fluctuating and too-high fuel prices, and would create more permanent jobs and long-term economic benefits than money spent on new roads. More and better public transportation will also reduce dependence on oil, relieve traffic congestion and cut global warming pollution.
Push Past Powerful Interests
To lay the groundwork necessary to win an exciting shift in public transportation priorities in 2009, U.S. PIRG staff took several steps as 2008 drew to a close:
• We released research about the benefits that doubling the portion of funding for public transportation would deliver for cities and states, including moving more than 200 projects off the waiting list and creating long-term, good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced.
• We generated hundreds of media stories in support of our proposal to increase federal funding of public transportation projects.
• We built a strong list of supporters drawn from environmental organizations, state representatives and towns in 20 states across the country.
Maryland PIRG transportation advocate Kristi Horvath said, “This could be the year that we take the steps we need to move forward to a sustainable public transportation system for our future.”
