|
 |
 |
|
Transit group: Large majorities support public transportation
More than three-fourths of Americans support increasing funding for public transportation systems, the American Public Transportation Association said Monday.
The poll result was released as part of the Washington, D.C.-based APTA’s “State of Public Transportation.” It comes as Congress is gearing up to consider a new Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA), which includes, among other things, funding for Amtrak.
APTA’s findings were focused specifically on public transportation, but the group said the numbers showed support for intra-city railways and buses was overwhelming.
“Eighty-one percent of respondents value public transit’s affordable mobility; 79 percent believe public transportation offers opportunity for every segment of the population; while 76 percent of respondents favor increased public transit funding to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and to improve America’s economic security,” APTA said in a news release touting its polling.
APTA Michael Melaniphy said the poll results lined up with returns from referendums on transit funding during elections last year.
“Last year, Americans nationwide approved 49 of 62 – or 79 percent – of public transit initiatives,” Melaniphy said. “That represents our best showing at the ballot box since APTA and the Center for Transportation Excellence began tracking these ballot measures in the year 2000.”
Melaniphy said the combination of the poll results and the election returns are enough to give APTA a “mandate” to fight for more public transportation funding.
“Our mandate is clear ... keep fighting for those public transit dollars that have proven to be an engine for growth and a lifeline to mobility,” he said.
Melaniphy admitted that it will likely be difficult to win additional transit funding when much of the budget conversations in Washington are focused now on deficit reduction.
“In the new year, this will indeed be a challenge,” he said, even as he argued that public transit will have a good case to make to lawmakers.
“As Congress and the White House seek ways to reduce federal spending and lower the deficit, every sector will need to prove its return on investment,” Melaniphy said. “2013 is the time we’ll redouble our efforts to educate more people, win new allies, and demonstrate public transportation’s essential role in a national recovery.”
The full APTA “State of Public Transportation” can be read here.
