Federal transportation bills threaten transit and safer access for bicycling, and walking

For immediate release: February 23, 2012  Contact : 
Hilary Reeves, Transit for Livable Communities, 651-789-1415

House bill also undermines road and bridge repair

If enacted, Minnesotans will have fewer transportation options

Saint Paul, MN (February 23, 2012)—Next week, action will resume on new federal transportation bills in the House and Senate. Normally bipartisan efforts, the pending bills are raising alarm bells because they remove dedicated funding for transit, bicycling, and walking. Provisions in the House bill also undermine road and bridge repair  

 The House bill, HR7, eliminates dedicated funding for transit established in the 1980s during the Reagan Administration. The House and Senate bills both cut dedicated funding for bicycling and pedestrian projects and for the Safe Routes to Schools program.

 “Dedicated federal funding for transit, bicycling, and walking is imperative, so that motorists—and all Minnesotans—have options that are more affordable and reduce the growing level of congestion on already-busy roads. Transportation agencies confirm that building more and wider roads won’t solve the congestion problem. Transportation options are essential to make the most efficient use of our transportation investments. Having dedicated funds is the best way to achieve this goal” said Barb Thoman, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities.

A bus carrying 40 passengers versus 40 cars on the road. Light Rail, such as the Hiawatha LRT, is even more efficient, carrying 450 passengers at capacity. Fifty percent of riders of the Hiawatha LRT say they would otherwise be driving.

 While the House bill has run into stiff opposition, there is pressure on Congress to enact something before the current extension of the law expires on March 31. Leaders of both parties have expressed interest in getting a transportation bill done because of the impact on infrastructure and jobs. Advocates from a variety of perspectives want to make sure that any deal-making doesn’t leave transit users, bicyclists, pedestrians, and local public works departments out in the cold.

 “At a time when demand for transit service is increasing, especially in communities of color where the economic downturn is felt most severely, it makes no sense that members of Congress would offer plans that cut dedicated funding,” said Russ Adams, executive director of the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability.

 According to the Metropolitan Council, transit ridership in the Twin Cities region is at its highest level in 30 years, with more than 90 million trips taken in 2011. Overall, Minnesota saw more than 100 million transit trips in 2010, according to MnDOT.

 The House bill’s elimination of dedicated funding for transit would throw Metro Transit and dozens of other Minnesota transit providers into doubt about how to plan for future service, making it impossible to know if funds will be there to replace worn-out buses or build new park and ride facilities. In addition, under the House bill, Minnesota would lose $313 million for highways over the next five years.

 “People all across Minnesota, from rural areas to suburban areas, rely on transit systems that need the stable, dedicated funding from the federal gas tax that has been coming back to our state for the last 30 years,” said Tony Kellen, president of the Minnesota Public Transit Association. “The House proposal would threaten transit service at a time when more Minnesotans are seeking additional transit service to get to work and live their lives. Minnesota taxpayers can’t afford this change in federal transit funding,” he added.

 Transportation is the second largest household expense after housing itself, and makes up an even larger share of the budget in lower-income households. The average annual cost of owning and operating a car is $8,000, according to the American Automobile Association.

 “Many people who are unemployed or underemployed rely on the transit system as a primary mode to access job opportunities,” said Grant Stevensen, pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and president of ISAIAH. “The Federal bill needs to support the viability of transit systems. Owning a car should not be a job qualification.”

 The House bill has raised additional reasons for objection. It cuts the bridge repair program and funding that focuses on traffic mitigation and air quality. The bill also would open protected areas, including the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, to drilling for oil and natural gas. In Minnesota, the House cuts to the bridge program would mean that only bridges on the national highway system would receive federal funds. The backlog of repair for Minnesota’s bridges would fall on state, county, and local funding sources.

 “It’s Ponzi-scheme math to expect that revenues from new drilling could solve the transportation funding deficit or significantly reduce gas prices,” said Ethan Fawley, transportation policy director at Fresh Energy. “The House bill makes us more dependent than ever on Big Oil at a time when American families want real alternatives to rising gas prices.”

 The House bill has drawn widespread opposition, including from Republican legislators. Representative Erik Paulsen, (R-MN, 3^rd district) voted against the bill in committee. Another GOP representative, New York’s Peter King, said via his spokesperson that he “has serious concerns about this legislation and the impact it will have on mass transit.” Transportation for America, a national coalition advocating for a new transportation bill, has listed the top 10 objections to the House bill on their web site: www.t4america.org.

 Bicycling and walking also under siege

Before 1990, it was illegal to spend any federal transportation funds on sidewalks or bike paths, even when highway projects tore out existing infrastructure for safe walking and bicycling. Since then, the federal program called Transportation Enhancements has dedicated about 1% of federal transportation funds to projects for pedestrians and bicyclists. Six years ago, the federal government adopted a modest program called Safe Routes to School to help improve bike and pedestrian safety and accessibility.

 “Across the state of Minnesota, bicycling is not only for recreation or local transportation, but is also an economic driver. Communities everywhere are redefining themselves around bicycling and walking options to ensure that they remain competitive. To cut dedicated funding is a bad economic decision,” said Dorian Grilley, executive director of the Bike Alliance of Minnesota.

 Nearly half of all the trips people make each day are three miles or less, and more people are bicycling or walking for these shorter trips. In the Twin Cities, bicycling increased by 52% and walking by 18% from 2007-2011.

 “Just as 50% of the 30,000 daily riders of the Hiawatha LRT line say they would otherwise be driving, more bicycling and walking means less driving overall,” said Thoman. “These modes deserve secure funding because they contribute to making the region affordable and vibrant.”

 

Annual bicycle trips on the Lake Street Bridge increased by 218,000 between 2007-2010. 44% of the cyclists surveyed said they would have otherwise been driving, meaning that an estimated 96,000 trips that were made by car in 2007 were by bike in 2010. Source: Bike Walk Twin Cities

 

 The Senate bill, sponsored by Senators Boxer (D-CA) and Inhofe (R-OK), includes health-promoting measures as well as complete streets, which would ensure that road projects consider the needs of everyone—drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and people with disabilities.

 But, the Senate bill has also sparked amendments to restore dedicated funding for bicycling and pedestrian projects. Senator Amy Klobuchar has put forward an amendment to restore funding for bike trails. A broader amendment from Senators Cochran and Cardin would restore bike/pedestrian funding more broadly, covering all kinds of enhancements and the Safe Routes to Schools program.

"The Senate bill, with amendments to restore funding for bicycling and pedestrian options, would be the better outcome for Minnesotans," said Thoman. "The Senate bill has bipartisan support and is a forward-looking bill, focused on road and bridge repair and increasing affordable options for all users of our transportation system."

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Sent on behalf of:

Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, Bike Alliance of Minnesota, Envision Minnesota, Fresh Energy, Isaiah, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Minnesota Public Transit Association, Sierra Club, and Transit for Livable Communities

Governor says Yes to Transit as Ridership Hits Record Levels

Saint Paul, MN (January 18, 2012)—Transit advocates celebrated Governor Mark Dayton’s inclusion of transit projects in his list of bonding priorities, including $25 million for the Southwest Light Rail Transit line and $10 million for transit facilities in Duluth, Mankato, and Saint Cloud. His support comes as demand for transit is reaching record levels.

 

Metro Transit reported Tuesday that 2011 ridership exceeded 80 million for only the second time in the last 30 years. Coupled with complimentary service provided by suburban transit providers and Metro Mobility, total ridership jumped to 94 million in 2011, according to the Metropolitan Council.

 

“The Governor has his priorities in sync with demand and future trends. We look to the legislature to follow suit. These transit bonding projects will make Minnesota’s transportation system more affordable and more effective,” said Barb Thoman, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities, a non-partisan organization with more than 10,000 members. “Southwest LRT is the next major link in the transit network and state bonding support enables the Twin Cities to compete with peer regions, such as Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Seattle, for federal matching funding.”

 

Recently moved up to the “preliminary engineering” phase by the Federal Transit Administration, the SW LRT becomes one in 12 systems in the U.S. poised to receive a full-funding grant agreement. This will mean that $1 in state funds will leverage an additional $9 in funds from other levels of government, including county and federal. The largest portion of capital costs (50%) will be borne by the federal government.

 

The Southwest LRT will connect Eden Prairie to Minneapolis and, via linkages to the Central Corridor and Hiawatha lines, connect the region’s top job centers: downtown Minneapolis, downtown Saint Paul, the University of Minnesota, Bloomington and the Mall of America, and Opus/Golden Triangle.

 

“Demand for transit is rising, but only 15% of jobs and 25% of households are readily served by moderate frequency transit. For individuals to make ends meet and our region to thrive, we need to fund more access to transit, including bus, rail, and bus rapid transit.” said Thoman.

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Twin Cities in top 15 for Pedestrian Safety--but still too many intersections without crosswalks

 

A program of Transit for Livable Communities

For Immediate Release: May 24, 2011
Contact: Hilary Reeves, 651-789-1415, cell:  612-554-1795, hilaryr@tlcminnesota.org

 

• 12% of all traffic deaths are people walking
• 1.5% of federal funding is for projects making walking safer
• 17%  increase in walking in the Twin Cities, 2007-2010

(Saint Paul, Minn)--Walking is the first and most basic form of transportation. Nearly everyone is a pedestrian at some point each day, even if it is simply walking from home to the bus stop or from the car to the office. Walking is on the rise in the Twin Cities, increasing 17% between 2007-2010, according to data from Bike Walk Twin Cities, a program of Transit for Livable Communities.

While Minnesota ranks better than many states in the likelihood of pedestrian fatalities, there are glaring exceptions, according to the 2011 report, Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods), released today by Transportation for America. The report also includes an interactive map that allows searching for pedestrian deaths near any town in the US.

Between 2000-2009, 415 pedestrians were killed in Minnesota . While Minnesota is doing better than most states, ranking 39th of 50 in terms of pedestrian risk, crashes and fatalities are much higher for the elderly, children, and people of color—and at intersections without crosswalks or other features that make roads safe for all users.

Pedestrian Fatality Rates

• Older Americans 50% more likely than those younger than 65
• Hispanics 71% higher rate of fatalities than non-Hispanic whites
• African Americans 127% higher rate of fatalities than non-Hispanic whites
• For children 15 or younger, pedestrian injury 3rd leading cause of death by unintentional injury

Last November, a 38 year old woman was killed crossing Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis at an intersection that did not have a crosswalk. Nationally, only 10% of pedestrian fatalities occurred inside a crosswalk. But, funding for making walking safer lags far behind the rate at which people walk to get around. While pedestrians account for 12% of all traffic deaths, only 1.5% of federal transportation funding goes o projects that retrofit roads or create safe alternatives.

"Design matters. At Bike Walk Twin Cities, we're working with local jurisdictions to address some of the most dangerous corridors and intersections," said Joan Pasiuk, director of Bike Walk Twin Cities, a program of Transit for Livable Communities.

Here are three projects to make walking safer funded by Bike Walk Twin Cities as part of the federal nonmotorized pilot program, authorized in the 2005 federal transportation law, SAFETEA-LU. Congress is considering whether to continue funding for walking and bicycling projects in the next transportation bill.

Cedar & Washington Avenues (also known as "7 Corners") in Minneapolis

Problem: Data from the Minneapolis Traffic Database indicates that 11 crashes occurred at the intersection of Cedar and Washington between 2002-2006, more than 2 deaths per year. The intersection is a busy one for truck traffic and for people too, especially given the proximity of the University of Minnesota.

Solution: Bike Walk Twin Cities awarded $765,000 to the City of Minneapolis to add medians and extend curbs so that pedestrians don't have to cover such a long distance when crossing. The changes would make it safer for people, but also accommodate trucks turning.

Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis

Problem: Franklin Avenue is noted in City of Minneapolis Traffic Crash Trend reports as a top pedestrian crash corridor, with 58 fatalaties crashes along the route between 2002-2006. "The biggest challenge faced by pedestrians on Franklin Avenue is crossing the street," said Katya Pilling, associate director of Seward Redesign. "At one point along the Avenue, a four-lane thoroughfare stands between a residential tower (with affordable housing for mostly East-African immigrant families) and the greenspace for their children; there is not a safe, direct crossing between the tower and greenspace," she said.

Solution: To deal with the intersections neighborhood residents identified as the most crucial, BWTC provided $62,000 to add curb extensions to narrow the crossing at 24th and 25th Avenues, add a crosswalk at Franklin and 24th, and for more countdown timers to aid safe crossing at Franklin and 26th Avenue. Pedestrian crossing signs also will be added.

44th, Penn& Osseo, North Minneapolis & Robbinsdale

Problem: This area, where three roads come together on the north side of Minneapolis, is a primary business node, but crossing on foot is prohibited on three of the four north-south crossings even though the intersection is served by several bus routes. The Victory Memorial Parkway section of the Grand Rounds bicycle trail is just to the north of the intersection.

Solution: Bike Walk Twin Cities is funding preliminary design , or "plan sets" for bike lanes and improved crossings for pedestrians, as well as suggestions for improving the overall pedestrian environment.

More roads in Minnesota could see similar improvements because Minnesota also has taken the key step of making "Complete Streets" the policy of the state. This policy means that Mn/DOT can work with communities to design new road projects and reconstruction projects with features that make them safer for a variety of users--from cars to bicyclists, to people walking or using wheelchairs, from the elderly to kids.

On the national level, the Safe and Complete Streets bill is being considered; it would make money available to states for these types of projects. Minnesota already has a Complete Streets policy at the state level, though it is less than a year old.

"Mn/DOT and seventeen local Minnesota communities have already stepped up with Complete Streets policies to make their roads safer for everyone, including pedestrians. But there is still much work to be done to improve safety for people walking and we need the federal government as a strong leader and partner for that effort. This report drives home that need and offers concrete steps that deserve action," said Ethan Fawley, transportation policy director for Fresh Energy.

"Some in Congress have questioned the federal interest in keeping pedestrians safe, believing it to be a strictly local issue," said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. "Given the rising cost of gas, more and more people are getting out of their cars and seeking alternative forms of transportation. As demand increases, so too does the need to make sure that all of our roads are safe for everyone. Congress must stop punting on a long-term transportation bill and prioritize the safety of all road users and give states the resources they need to stem the tide of preventable deaths." The full report, Dangerous By Design: http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011/

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ABOUT BIKE WALK TWIN CITIES

A program of Transit for Livable Communities, Bike Walk Twin Cities (BWTC) runs the Minneapolis-area location of the federal nonmotorized transportation pilot program, authorized in the 2005 federal transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU. Working with local jurisdictions, BWTC has invested more than $22 million to increase bicycling and walking as a means of transportation. BWTC has funded more than 75 miles of new bikeways and sidewalks (including the Riverlake Greenway, set to open June 11), innovative projects (including Nice Ride Minnesota bike sharing and the Sibley Bike Depot Community Partners Bike Library), outreach, planning, and measurement. BWTC’s annual counts of nonmotorized transportation show that walking is up 17% from 2007-2010 and bicycling up 33%. For more about BWTC, visit, http://www.bikewalktwincities.org

 

ABOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA

Transportation for America (T4 America) is the largest, most diverse coalition working on transportation reform today. Our nation’s transportation network is based on a policy that has not been significantly updated since the 1950’s. We believe it is time for a bold new vision — transportation that guarantees our freedom to move however we choose and leads to a stronger economy, greater energy security, cleaner environment and healthier America for all of us. We’re calling for more responsible investment of our federal tax dollars to create a safer, cleaner, smarter transportation system that works for everyone. www.t4america.org

 

PAYING MORE FOR LESS— GOVERNOR SHOULD VETO TRANSPORTATION BILL

For Immediate Release  May 20, 2011
Contact: Hilary Reeves, Transit for Livable Communities, 651-789-1415; 612-554-1795 (evenings); hilaryr@tlcminnesota.org
Jenna Wade, Fresh Energy, 651-726-7568 (days); 612-819-7282 (cell); wade@fresh-energy.org

(Saint Paul, Minn.), May 20, 2011—A coalition of organizations agrees that the transportation bill passed by the House and Senate last night moves Minnesota backwards and should be vetoed by Governor Dayton.

“With $4.00 per gallon gas, more people are turning to transit to get work and make their own budgets balance,” said Barb Thoman, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities. “Cutting transit is not smart for Minnesota, for today or tomorrow. Governor Dayton should veto this bill.”

The transportation bill cuts $109.3 million from metro area transit and $7.6 million from Greater Minnesota transit. In the metro area, the bill would make people pay more for a smaller bus system. The Metropolitan Council says the cuts would lead to a 30% reduction in regular route service and a 50 cent fare increase.

The resulting base fare of $2.25 would make Metro Transit fares the highest in the country, deterring ridership and stressing household budgets. More than 100,000 people get to work every day on metro area transit. According to the Met Council, 27,000 of these riders would be lost, either back driving on increasingly congested roads or unable to get to work, school, and other key destinations each day.

Representative Terry Morrow (DFL, Saint Peter), said, “Today's Transportation budget bill throws Greater Minnesota's transit systems into reverse. Bus and dial-a-ride service will suffer---as will the seniors, students, disabled persons, workers and others who rely upon transit for getting to work, school, the doctor, church, grocery stores, and family and friends.”

Cuts to Transit out of Step with Business, Gen Y, and the Market

Throughout the legislative session, business leaders have challenged the cuts to transit. “Bold investment in transit attracts business. We see transit as critical to retain employees and businesses,” said Charlie Zelle, representing the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, at a transportation hearing earlier this session.

Yet, the Twin Cities lags behind competing cities, such as Denver and Seattle, in transit funding and ridership. The Twin Cities region also ranks 39th in the nation among metropolitan areas in extent of transit service to jobs, according to “Missed Opportunities,” a Brookings Institution report.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Generation Y (aged 30 and younger) are the largest demographic of homebuyers and increasingly desire walkable neighborhoods with convenient transit. Real estate forecasters indicate, too, that when the economy recovers, growth will no longer be at the edge of the metro but in areas where there are opportunities to connect housing and jobs. The 2010 Census already suggests that young families are moving back into inner ring suburbs. 

As the Governor and legislature work to find a solution to the state’s budget deficit, there are solutions that preserve vital transit service:

• As the Governor has indicated, the solution should include increased revenue to preserve vital services and position Minnesota for a strong future.
• The legislature could vote for an equal 50/50 allocation of revenues from the motor vehicle sales tax (MVST) to roads and transit. Transit currently receives 40% of this revenue. A fair split would raise close to $50 million per year, offsetting most of the $117 million biennium cuts to transit statewide included in HF 1140. Closing various exemptions to the MVST tax would also raise significant revenue.

Transit is a critical lifeline for seniors and the disabled throughout the state. Transit also benefits all road users by moving people far more efficiently than cars, thereby reducing the need for costly road expansion. Minnesotans deserve a transportation finance bill that moves the state forward, not backward.  

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Sent on behalf of Transit Partners:

Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1005,Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, Envision Minnesota, Fresh Energy, Isaiah, Twin Cities LISC, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Minnesota Housing Partnership, MPIRG, Sierra Club, Transit for Livable Communities