Transportation For America Poll Finds Americans Favor Smarter Transportation Spending in Stimulus Bill

Poll Finds Americans Favor Smarter Transportation Spending in Stimulus Bill

16 Jan 2009 | Posted by Steve Davis | 0 Comments | economic recovery, poll, stimulus


	Download this Release (.pdf)
	Contact: David Goldberg, 202/412-7930 david.goldberg@T4america.org

WASHINGTON – Eighty percent of Americans want transportation and other infrastructure spending included in the economic stimulus bill to target projects that achieve multiple goals and create new jobs, according to a survey sponsored by the National Association of Realtors® and Transportation for America.

The 2009 Growth and Transportation Survey describes what Americans think about how development affects their immediate community. An overwhelming 80 percent believe it’s more important that a stimulus plan include efforts to repair existing highways and build public transit rather than build new highways. Forty-five percent of those polled said construction of new highways should “definitely” or “probably” not be included in the plan.

“Realtors® build communities and believe smarter transportation and infrastructure development will help create more livable and vibrant neighborhoods,” said NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The survey shows that Americans want Congress and the incoming administration to factor plans for reducing dependence on foreign oil, improving the environment, and increasing transportation choices into the stimulus package currently in development, even if it temporarily delays job creation.

Americans are also very interested in energy conservation. Eighty-nine percent agreed that transportation investments should support the goals of reducing energy use, with 58 percent agreeing strongly. Three in four of those polled also want the stimulus plan to support the reduction of carbon emissions that lead to global warming and climate change.

The 2009 Growth and Transportation Survey was conducted by Hart Research Associates, January 5-7. Hart Research Associates telephoned 1,005 adults living in the U.S. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Transportation for America is a broad coalition of housing, environmental, public health, urban planning, transportation and other organizations, seeking to align national, state, and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development. NAR is a member of Transportation For America.

The National Association of Realtors® “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

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Jacques and Abi
15 years ago

I have been watching with great;concern the collapse of the American Economy and especiallly the Auto industry. I am NOT a big car fan, nor a promoter of reckless business practice, both of which the auto manufacturers represent. But I am against job loss
I want to see our economy revitalized, BUT I want to see it done where the PEOPLE benefit, not corporate CEO’s. I have an idea that would jump start and help PEOPLE; Revitalize MANY companies. Stimulate State budgets and economies. Get the Economy moving on a GREEN track
Start by revitalizing the “;car companies”; BUTget them into making public transit FIRST and cars SECOND. Also get STEEL and CONSTRUCTION back to work with this same objective. Provide the;$350 billion funding to retool the car factories and also to inject funds into associated industries and trades for TRANSIT, which I will outline
But First, get the STATES the budget moneys they need, don’t focus on failed mortgages. . Those home buyers made their bets and lost. Responsible homebuyers aren’t getting a break. Dump the bank saving plan, it’s not working. Re-tool the car companies to make TRANSIT BUSES, STREET CARS, HIGH SPEED TRAINS. A small portion for high mileage PRACTICAL CARS. Get these vehicles into production, simultaneously, take from the 700 billion dollars and direct it to STATES to cancel their DEFICITS. This money would go toward TRANSIT PROJECTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE. Funnel some of the money to STEEL works. Get them to making RAILS, BRIDGE COMPONENTS,, TRAIN STATION COMPONENTS AND OTHER TRANSIT and infrastructure projects. WPA time
The states would use some of their Federal moneys to build the transit projects: buy buses, streetcars, light rail and, in cases,high speed train lines as well. The moneys could be used to employ concrete workers, steel workers, building workers and all aspects of construction from rail lines, and structures to buildings, bus stops and landscapingThese multi-facet projects would get a broad spectrum of trades and skills from Architects, to Bridge Designers, Geologists and Engineers, office support staff, other construction trades and, as I mentioned, even landscaping companies to work. These projects would get people WORKING right away. It would pull states out of debt, and kick-start their economies. But the main thing also is it would get AFFORDABLE TRANSIT; to the PEOPLE who could use it and depend less on CARS, thus cutting carbon impacts and reducing global warming. I hope you will consider these ideas and we can get America, not only revitalized but moving CARBON FREE.
Pat Feemster
15 years ago

Stimulus money should be used to REPAIR HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES. It SHOULD NOT BE USED TO BUILD NEW HIGHWAYS.

Please LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE — not road bulders, big business and land holders who will profit from new road construction.
Bonni McKeown
15 years ago

BRAVO! I’ve long suspected that people really don’t want more new roads. It’s the contractors that want to build them.. let’s put them to work bulding new railtracks and cars, and fixing the roads we have.
jim
15 years ago

A project we should consider is rerouting the railroads out of our cities. This 19th century legacy is very inefficient. Bypassing the center of town would create fewer accidents and would allow trains to maintain a steady speed. Then let’s electrify all the main lines.
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Rob Gould
15 years ago

America needs to divert money from aviation industry to rail. A US rail system should have a federal agency to match the FAA. This would take a lot of the load off airports that have now become so bogged down they no longer are convenient. Rail is also far more energy efficient than air travel.
rob bregoff
15 years ago

We can wish all we want, but here in CA, the buck stops at the CTC (California Transportation Commission), a small appointed coven of highway construction company CEOs and sprawl developers, most of whom have contributed vast amounts of money to the Governor and other politicians.
Thus, we end up with multi-billion-dollar highway expansion projects while local transit starves.
It’s all politics.
The cruel joke is that state transportation agencies are usually charged with writing documents that justify politicians decisions. Any really good planning is usually an afterthought.
Sue
15 years ago

The stimulus package will stimulate China (after 85% of Americans go buy thier new flatscreen tv’s.
Gary Hammond
15 years ago

We don’t need new highways (with perhaps, rare exceptions.) We don’t need more urban sprawl which destroys the natural environment.

We need repair of existing roads and bridges, and more mass transit and bicycle lanes.
anon.
15 years ago

The freight railways should go to the main freight transfer yards, and don’t need to go through downtown.

But he passenger railways *must* go through downtowns, and have stations there. So don’t relocate the rails out of downtown.
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