We Need Metro More Than
Ever
Dear smart growth supporters,
Last year, transit ridership
in the Washington region surged. Metro had a record-breaking
year with thousands of new riders, saving 255 million gallons of
gasoline and cutting our region’s carbon emissions by 2 million
tons, according to a report released by Environment America. As
our region grows, Metro will continue to be one of the most
important solutions for reducing our carbon footprint.
The Metro system is also the
lifeblood of our economy. Yet, Metro hasn’t received the
operating and maintenance funds it critically needs or the
resources to add enough new rail cars and buses to keep up with
growing ridership.
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Metro is convenient, offering a way to avoid
frustrating and often unpredictable traffic, and saving us time
and money compared to the increasing cost of owning,
maintaining, and fueling our cars. Our roads couldn’t
function without Metro’s help. Metro has sparked billions
of dollars in transit-oriented development and helped revitalize
DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda and Silver Spring.
Metro Needs Sustained
Investment
Join the Coalition for
Smarter Growth and the Transit First coalition in a campaign to
ensure Metro has the investment it needs in three key areas:
1) Funding for annual operating and maintenance expenses
($160 million shortfall next year);
2) Funding for
replacement of track, switches, electrical power systems, and
station platforms;
3) Funding for new buses and rail cars to
keep up with growing transit ridership.
Total replacement (2) and capacity needs (3) between 2011 and
2020 is $11.4 billion. A bill currently in Congress would
address some of this need. Part of a 10-year proposal to match
$1.5 billion in federal funds to $1.5 billion in state and local
funds, this year’s bill would allocate $150 million in
2010. But we will need additional commitments each year from
local, state, and federal governments for not just the $3
billion, but the full $11.4 billion in needs.
For comparison, the region has spent about $4.6 billion on
the Beltway (Wilson Bridge, Springfield Interchange and HOT
Lanes) and $3 billion on the Intercounty Connector in recent
years, and Maryland DOT is now proposing $4 billion to widen
I-270 to Frederick. Clearly, we have to make choices — we
believe that investing in Metro should be a top priority,
because of the many benefits it offers.
Transit Ridership
Surges & Offers Range of Benefits, New Report Shows
We co-released a report with
Environment America about the increase in transit ridership
across the country in 2008. This comprehensive
report (pdf) is the first to quantify the increase in
transit ridership and decrease in vehicle miles traveled as
people shifted to transit to escape high gas prices. Read our press
release for more information.
The report also quantifies
the savings in oil consumed and reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions. Our dependency on imported oil and driving impacts
both our wallets and our national security. Transit increases
our energy independence and will ensure we have travel options
as gas prices remain high over the coming years and decades. The
DC region should be a national and world leader in sustainable
transportation and land use, and should make funding our transit
systems our top priority.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Perring
Coalition For Smarter
Growth
action@smartergrowth.net
https://citizen-networks.org/csg/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=27978406oldId.20091009211008307