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Schumer amendment in Senate could boost transit funding
Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Jerrold Nadler released a statement on Senator Schumer’s amendment to increase funding for transit in the Senate economic recovery package. Sen. Schumer’s planned amendment would boost transit funding from $8.4 billion up to $14.9 billion, with additions to the vital program (New Starts) that would provide funds for new, ready-to-go transit projects across the country. Currently, the House version has $2.5 billion for New Starts, where the Senate version has zero.
The Inauguration: A shining moment for public transportation
f you were watching television last Tuesday, you saw at least two historic things happen, but there’s a chance that the lesser one escaped your notice. What you might have missed was the fact that Washington, DC also managed to quadruple the number of people who travel into the city on a typical day — from 400,000 to 1.8 million — without breaking out into total chaos and panic.
Update to the Transit Cuts map; 51 systems covered
We knew when we put it together that our list of transit agencies facing fiscal crises was not going to be exhaustive. And as soon as it went live, we heard from a number of you with information on other systems that we either didn’t know about or couldn’t find information on. So thanks to Hugh, Richard, Jef, Randy, and Jeff, we now have 51 systems covered in the map, representing almost 21 million daily trips by everyday Americans.
Transit Cuts: Coming soon to a system near you?
Perhaps you’ve already seen the news in your local paper. Even as ridership is spiking — perhaps even the highest of all time — your local transit system is talking about having to cut service, raise fares, or even lay off workers to cope with the struggling economy. We’ve created a map compiling the potential and proposed cuts to public transportation systems in 38 communities across the country.
Poll Finds Americans Favor Smarter Transportation Spending in Stimulus Bill
As Congress takes up debate over an economic stimulus package, a new poll shows that most Americans would rather use federal dollars to repair highways and bridges and improve public transportation than expand highways through new construction. A majority says funded projects should advance national goals, such as energy independence, in addition to creating jobs.
Are we building new roads to crumbling bridges?
With billions of dollars about to be spent on an economic recovery package, you’d think Congress would prioritize fixing dangerous bridges and repairing unsafe highways. But the powerful highway lobby is pressing hard for nearly all the money to be spent constructing new roads and bridges. This makes no sense. Tell Congress you support a smarter economic recovery package.
It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure beyond just the price tag. Learn more about T4America's three simple principles for federal transportation investment.
Read our new principles