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Schumer to Offer Senate Version of $3 Billion Mass Transit Hike
As it happens, we're not the only ones noting that that the fight to add mass transit money to the stimulus bill is far from over.
Senate Democratic Vice Chairman Chuck Schumer (NY) just mentioned on a conference call with reporters that he'll be introducing a version of Rep. Jerrold Nadler's (D-NY) amendment to add $3 billion in public transportation cash to the economic recovery pot.
That would bring the total mass transit funding in the Senate's bill to more than $15 billion, if you include a $5.5 billion competitive transport grants program that can be accessed by rail or road projects. That's still half as much money for mass transit as for highways.
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Josh
Elana
Matt
Eric
The more the better, the United States mass transit system is a disgrace and it would improve a lot of things if we had one that was like Japan or Europe. I know that we cant have the exact same due to difference in environment (land size) but thats no excuse to not have some nice high speed rails for long distance and some light rail's for cities.
January 30, 2009 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
So is Schumer adding money for NY or somewhere else?
This some good old school stuff.
January 30, 2009 4:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
I do not know how more green you can get than mass transit. I live on the west side of Los Angeles which is the most congested endless traffic jam in all of California .... and we have had plans to extend our subway lines through this mess for years and years .... yet the second largest city in America doesn't seem to be in line to get piss in a bucket for mass transit in this so called stimulus bill. What gives??? Why on Earth do all these Democrats not have the collective brains to build mass transit in our cities??? Hybrid cars are a dime a dozen out here BUT LESS CARS WOULD BE EVEN GREENER! IS ANYBODY LISTENING???
January 30, 2009 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, we were talking about California yesterday. If anyone needs a comprehensive mass-transit makeover, it's the LA-San Diego corridor. I think we were also offering Houston, Phoenix, and southern Florida too as places it would be good.
It's a shame that as we are adding money to mass transit, we aren't taking money away from highways. It's not that we should get rid of cars, but it's time we had a working transportation system that takes other transportation methods into account. If the transportation methods change, then maybe the building styles will too and help eliminate sprawl.
Heck, if we add money for research to make airplanes more efficient, that would be awesome too.
January 30, 2009 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
No one questions the wonderfulness of mass transit. However, any project that has not already completed impact studies and land acquisition will not be able to put a shovel into the ground in less than 3-5 years. There will be a transportation bill later this year. That's the place for these projects.
January 30, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right, I guess I was being a bit off-hand here. And what I'm talking about just doesn't appear overnight. It will take planning and time.
January 30, 2009 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
MORE INFRASTRUCTURE MORE TRANSIT!!! That is what will create jobs, period.
January 30, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
AND will make the economy more productive for many years after the recovery, thus helping to pay for the borrowing to fund the stimulus. Investments that promise to do that are the best way to create the conditions for another era of sustained growth. Look at all the stuff built during the Roosevelt Administration that we still use.
Of course, investment in education and research does the same thing, but if that has to be separated out from this package to satisfy idiots like Ben Nelson, so be it- as long as it's replaced by increased spending on things like mass transit rather than by tax cuts.
January 31, 2009 8:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Use that money to keep NY from raising the fare.
January 30, 2009 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that the passenger rail system could use some work, but let's at least be clear on the issues.
In terms of inter-city, Amtrak has agreements with the freight rail companies. Where Amtrak owns the majority of the rail--like in the NE corridor--the trains are on time 85% or more of the time. Where the freight companies own most of the rail, the picture is very, very different with on-time rates of less than 50%. Being 7-8 hours late tends to destroy the desire of folks to use intercity rail. Fixing this may just require more rail--but it certainly requires planning. Do any of us know the status of these plans.
Then we get to mass transit within metro areas. I know St Louis had a defeat for money to use on our mass transit system with layoffs expected this March. Hopefully, we can get the money to prevent this and to extend the system. In other metro areas, has the land been acquired to build the infrastructure--in other words, is LA just a lot of smoky talk right now or has land been bought?
I suspect most of this "mass transit" money will go to the NE Amtrak corridor. That doesn't do much to improve the passenger rail system in the country which gets less and less passengers because of delays, old cars, etc. And all of this is probably beyond the scope of the stimulus bill unless we want that bill passed a couple of years from now.
Oh, heck, let the NE Amtrak corridor get some new passenger cars or engines.
January 30, 2009 7:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Surely many transit projects ARE shovel-ready.
The most shovel-ready transportation projects are basic road rehabilitation projects. They're not sexy like light rail, but by repairing the roads sooner rather than later, it saves taxpayers big bucks long-term. Plus, these basic road rehab projects offer wonderful opportunities for improving pedestrian and bicycling conditions on them. This movement in support of this process-- i.e., making our roads safe for multiple user groups-- is called Complete Streets. Check it out. Walking and bicycling are underrated, highly cost-effective "green" transportation strategies.
January 30, 2009 7:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
We've abandoned our rail system for a half-century, so it won't be easy to reverse that trend overnight.
However, it is not true that some targeted spending on rail is years away from being effective.
One immediate thing Congress could do would be to give the railways some track maintenance funding. These improvements would increase safety and the speeds at which trains could run, increasing efficiency and the attractiveness for both rail and freight.
Another would be to fund impact and planning studies for intercity lines, so that that work can be done
Third, I'd like to see a committment to adding some sort of rail capacity to our long-term transportation plans. Nothing will happen unless rail is treated as being as important as road and air transportation. Each has it's best uses, and we've ignored rail for far too long.
Finally, some immediate and outright grants ought to go to Amtrack to buy new passenger rolling stock, and to also put significant funding into rehabbing and upgrading existing rail, including increasing the number of sleeper spaces for long hauls (thereby helping to reduce ticket prices and increase ridership).
January 31, 2009 10:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
left something out....
Another would be to fund impact and planning studies for intercity lines, so that that work can be done now to prepare for future expansion.
January 31, 2009 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, good point. And people who do impact and planning studies for intercity lines need jobs too, even though they may not use shovels. It also creates economic stimulus when a given location is targeted for a metro station or a train station.
January 31, 2009 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Denver has a big plan to greatly exapand its light rail system, plus to create dedicated bus lanes to Boulder. In addition, the environmental impact studies have been completed for a new rail bridge into Manhattan. These are shovel ready and deserve to be funded immediately.
January 31, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink