Stand Up 4 Transportation

The American Public Transportation Assiociation this week released an infographic as part of its “Stand Up 4 Transportation” campaign that urges Congress to pass a long-term federal transportation funding bill. The campaign culminates on April 9 on National Transportation Infrastructure Day with transportation stakeholders across the country staging various outreach events.

APTA reports that for every dollar invested in public transit, about $4 are generated in economic returns.

The current federal multi-year transportation spending bill expires May 31.  Public transit and highway grants funded from the federal Highway Trust Fund cannot be made without a bill in place — so the clock is ticking and agencies such as Metro depend on these funds for everything from maintenance to building new projects, including some of the new rail lines under construction in Los Angeles County.

The problem began over two decades ago.  The fund is tied to the federal gas tax, which is 18.3 cents per gallon and has not increased since 1994.  Improved vehicle fuel efficiency and rising construction costs have eroded the fund’s ability to get work done. APTA reports the nation faces a $160-billion backlog just to bring public transit and road systems into a state of good repair.