GettingThere From Here
Meredith Richards
With
the ever growing number of cars and trucks, many of Virginia's roads are becoming
strained. We all get irritated fighting the smog, the heavy traffic, and the
increasing danger of our road systems, just to get to work.
It's a fact: cars and trucks dominate both our roads and how we think about
transportation. But imagine with me for a few minutes a future in Virginia that
includes an enhanced public transit structure, woven in with our habit of relying
on cars. Public transit that's a seamless convenience and an easy option for
people in communities all over Virginia. Comfortable and easy to use, a transit
structure with inter-modal connections, that efficiently moves people and goods,
bringing riders to and from work, or to a college, sports venue or hospital.
Imagine riders boarding a Roanoke to Richmond train, taking a comfortable bus
to a business meeting, and returning home the same way.
This scenario is not a dream, because when high quality public transit is available
within convenient walking distance, people will use it. It's been shown that
a public investment in high quality transit creates its own success, as well
as its own demand. WMATA (Washington Metro) is a high quality transit service.
Its ridership increased by 6.2 million from 1996 to 1998. Without Metro, about
260,000 more cars (20% more!) would be on the road in the Capitol region. Imagine
that. It would take an estimated 1,400 additional lane-miles of roadway to accommodate
this extra traffic.
Blacksburg Transit is a good example of a transit system that helps keep Blacksburg
livable, less congested, and reduces the need for expensive parking decks. Its
ridership is up by 20%. With enhanced and expanded transit, we can keep Hampton
Roads, Richmond, Charlottesville, Roanoke and other cities livable, and also
keep them from repeating the experience of Northern Virginia's congestion in
the next five, ten or fifteen years.
Right now (FY 2000), there is $355 million in federal, state, and local non-farebox
revenue that funds public transportation in Virginia. Local government general
fund revenue sources provide about 28%, or $100 million, of that. The Commonwealth's
current share is $112.4 million. By comparison, local governments provide about
$28 million, or only about 1.2% (0.01166) of the VDOT highway budget of $2.6
billion. Because local outlays for roads are less compared to public transportation,
the present highway funding structure provides a strong incentive for local
government to choose new highways over new transit projects, and a disincentive
for localities to extend transit options. We believe Virginia should treat public
transit more like it does roads and move toward a 98% federal/state-2% local
funding formula for transit operating and capital costs, and allocate 14.7%
of any new transportation funding to transit.
The American Public Transit Association recently commissioned a study that found
for every $10 million invested in transit in major metropolitan areas, $15 million
is saved in operating expenses, fuel, and congestion costs. Several recent local
studies have confirmed that transit pays for itself many times over with the
economic development it provides. KPMG Peat Marwick twice studied the Commonwealth's
investment in Metrorail and found that it would bring a 19% rate of return.
They also found that since Metrorail's first station opened in 1977, it has
generated $1.2 billion in additional tax revenues above the state contributions
to Metrorail. Moreover, the American Economics Group recently found that the
Greater Richmond Transit Company produces about $43 million each year in direct
and indirect economic activity in the Richmond region. Clearly, public transit
is a cost efficient investment of public resources and a net benefit to local
economies.
With the number of vehicles on Virginia's roads increasing each year, the availability
and quality of public transit will play a critical role in our future quality
of life, and in our ability to get around. To get there from here, the Virginia
Transit Association believes the Commonwealth should make a larger investment
in Virginia's transportation infrastructure, especially in public transit, because
if we fail to plan ahead, our transportation problems will just get worse.
Meredith Richards is Vice Mayor of Charlottesville
and on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Transit Association.