Today, thousands of people from across the country are calling their representatives in the House to urge their “NO” vote on HR 7, the House transportation bill that jeopardizes transit service in cities large and small across the country, makes our streets less safe, fails to put people to work, and does far too little to fix our crumbling roads and bridges. We do desperately need an updated transportation bill to lay the groundwork for a prosperous 21st century, but this bill is unfortunately not it.

Can you stop what you’re doing and take just a moment to add your voice and call your representative?

Today, we’re just one part of a massive national call-in day rallying opposition to this bill from an unbelievably broad set of groups. The environment, business, labor, transit riders and transit workers, elected officials…the list keeps growing. All of whom agree that the House bill makes two steps backward for every step forward.

Residents on both U.S. coasts today woke up to strong editorials in their papers of record opposing the bill. The New York Times called it “so uniquely bad” that it defies belief. The Sacramento Bee made it absolutely clear that this bill “gives public transportation the shaft.” From the Times editorial this morning:

Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, rightly calls this the “worst transportation bill” he has seen in 35 years of public service. Mr. Boehner is even beginning to hear from budget-conscious conservatives who believe that relying on user fees is the most fiscally responsible way to pay for all transportation programs. Perhaps the House speaker will listen to these warnings and send the bill back to the relevant committees for the wholesale revision it needs. If he does not, and it passes, then the Senate must stop it.

The Bee makes it clear that in a time when people are looking for more options for getting around each day, this bill takes away exactly what more Americans are so desperately seeking.

If they have their way, the nation’s transportation network will take a giant step backward to a “roads only” policy for dedicated funding. The full House votes next week on a multi-year transportation bill (House Resolution 7) – and Americans should urge their members of Congress to reject it. The United States needs a transportation system that gives people a variety of options – roads, rail, bus, bicycle paths and walkways. It needs to find ways to reduce emissions and traffic congestion.

From coast to coast, it’s becoming clear that this bill needs to be defeated. We’re looking forward to working with the House on a better bill, but this is not that bill.

Join with others, make a phone call, and then spread the word via email and your social networks today if you’ve already called.

Use the #HouseTranspoFail hashtag today on Twitter

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So get ready, folks.

We’ll be sending out an alert to many of you tomorrow morning, as well as posting all the information right here you’ll need to call your representative and tell them about the destructive impacts H.R. 7 would have on our local communities.

In the meantime today, if you haven’t already, send an email (or another one!) to your representative here.

If you’re just walking into the room, the House transportation bill has been pieced together in committee and is heading for the floor for debate and votes in the coming week. It’s a bill that takes far too many steps in the wrong direction (ie, backwards), failing to help build the 21st Century transportation system America needs. This bill:

• Eliminates all dedicated funding for public transportation, leaving millions of riders already faced with service cuts and fare increases out in the cold.
• Fails to do enough to create jobs and put Americans back to work, also threatening millions of current transit, construction and manufacturing jobs.
• Ends the tiny amount of funding that helps make dangerous streets and roads safer for children, as well as others on foot or bike.
• Does not go far enough ensure that we fix our bridges and roads.

A House committee majority went ahead with their plan to punish everyone who rides public transportation, as well as jeopardizing thousands of jobs in the public transit, construction and manufacturing industries.

In doing this, House leadership and this committee ignored broad, bipartisan opposition from across the country — from governors, state transportation officials, health professionals, business organizations, and from across the political spectrum — as well as thousands of messages from voters in their districts. (Including many of you who sent messages or made phone calls last week.)

With this incredible turn of events, this House transportation bill has passed the tipping point, and unfortunately demands our full opposition. Will you help us defeat it? Let your representative know that this full transportation bill must not pass the House!

Tell your representatives to vote “NO” on H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act.

This bill:

• Eliminates all dedicated funding for public transportation, leaving millions of riders already faced with service cuts and fare increases out in the cold.
• Fails to do enough to create jobs and put Americans back to work, also threatening millions of current transit, construction and manufacturing jobs.
• Ends the tiny amount of funding that helps make dangerous streets and roads safer for children, as well as others on foot or bike.
• Does not go far enough ensure that we fix our bridges and roads.

House leaders are preparing to move this bill to the floor very soon. It could be debated by House members as early as this week, and our representatives need to hear from their voters.

Join us and send a message to your representative and tell them to vote “NO” on H.R. 7.

We desperately need a new federal transportation bill, but this proposal being advanced by the House is not it. Leaders in the House need to come up with a better bill – one that helps build the 21st Century transportation system America needs.

Stop the House’s unprecedented assault on public transportation. There are just a few hours left before their vote Friday morning.

Send an urgent message to your representative today.

Will we be stuck waiting for the bus, or just tossed underneath it?

A key House Committee is threatening to kill three decades of successful investments in mass transit — originally started under President Ronald Reagan — by ending the guarantee for dedicated funding for public transportation, leaving millions of riders already faced with service cuts and fare increases out in the cold.

In a stunning development late last night, House leadership and the Ways and Means committee made a shocking attack on transit that would have huge impacts for the millions of people who depend on public transportation each day.

They proposed putting every public transportation system in immediate peril by eliminating guaranteed funding for the Mass Transit Account and forcing transit to go begging before Congress for general funds each year — all while highway spending continues to be guaranteed with protected funds for half a decade at a time.

Get involved. Can you take just a moment and tell your representative that this short-sighted idea is intolerable for their voters?

This incredible move would roll back 30+ years of bipartisan federal transportation policy and reverse a decision made by President Reagan in the 1980’s to fund our nation’s transit system out of a small share of gas tax revenues. This change would mean no more guarantee of funding each year and no long-term stability for public transportation. States, cities, communities and their transit systems could lose billions.

We released a statement earlier today decrying this unprecedented attack on transit.

“We are deeply concerned that if this measure passes, Americans who use public transportation, or who would like that option in the future, will be thrown under the bus,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “This couldn’t come at a worse time for people who need an affordable, reliable way to get to work, or for employers who need workers.” Corless noted the demand for transit has been rising as the economy slowly recovers and people are using public transportation to get to jobs and to avoid volatile gas prices. Over the course of the five-year transportation program, America’s population will continue to age rapidly, and a growing number of seniors will be looking to transit services maintain their independence.

It’s not just us, though. Even the association of state DOT heads submitted a letter to the committee urging them to reconsider their ill-advised plan.

The Mass Transit Account has been in existence since 1982 and AASHTO has continuously supported this account as a critical component of the Highway Trust Fund. AASHTO has long supported the principle that 20 percent of the gas tax revenues that have been put in place since 1982 be allocated to a dedicated mass transit account. We believe that the two complementary accounts need to be maintained in order to support a well-funded, multimodal transportation system.

We respectfully request that the current Highway Trust Fund structure with its two accounts and respective revenue allocations be retained.

Transit is unquestionably a critical component of our nation’s transportation system, and one that millions of people (or voters, if you’re reading, committee members) depend on each day to get around. More people on transit means less congestion, less pollution, and fewer cars on the road.

Tell your representative that this unprecedented attack on transit won’t stand.

Locate your Representative on the transportation committee below in the list below. Also note the key statistics on the number and percentage of deficient bridges in your district from the table!

Then call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Representative. When a staffer picks up, you can share this message below with him or her, or first ask to speak to a legislative associate that handles transportation and share this message with them. (Don’t know what district you’re in? Use this tool.)

And then say something along these lines:

My name is [NAME] and I live in [PLACE]. I’m calling to ask Representative [NAME] to please vote for two amendments in Thursday’s transportation committee markup. Please vote for the amendment from Reps. Petri and Johnson to restore the dedicated funding that helps make streets safer for people on foot or bike, and secondly, please vote for a possible amendment requiring states to first repair their deficient bridges, unless their bridges are in good condition.

We need to require states to put a priority on fixing the country’s 69,000 bridges before spending money on new highways. There are [NUMBER] deficient bridges in the Representative’s Congressional district, according to a Taxpayers for Common Sense report. The House transportation bill must address this backlog.

Last year pedestrian deaths increased while vehicle deaths dropped. It makes no sense to cut the tiny slice of dedicated funding that helps make streets safer for everyone on foot or bike.

Thank you so much for your time.

Want to report your call? Leave us a note in the comments or just send us a short email.

That need for speed, urged on by a leadership that wants to get a bill to the floor soon, means that Senators will be under tremendous pressure to keep the bill moving along quickly. Already, vested interests are attacking the critical provisions that would set new, 21st-century objectives for our investments, rather than perpetuate a status quo that benefits fewer and fewer Americans.

Those critical provisions were passed in December by the Senate Commerce Committee. The committee approved legislation that would establish national policy objectives and goals for the transportation system. It would hold all levels of government accountable for congestion levels, road conditions, environmental impacts, the reliability of freight movement, increasing access to transit, and reducing fatalities across all modes, among other measurements of progress. However, some in Congress are fighting against these critical reforms.

With the ball starting to roll downhill fast, your senators need to hear from you that these are just the types of reforms we need included in a transportation bill. Tell your Senators you’re counting on them to support and defend a more transparent and accountable system for spending our transportation dollars.

In these times of shrinking state budgets and financial downturns, it’s more important than ever to know exactly what our scarce transportation dollars are buying. After spending of billions of dollars each year, taxpayers want to know:

“Are we better off now than last year? Are we safer on our roads? Are our bridges in better condition than ten years ago? Can more people get from A to B quickly, reliably and affordably? Is our transportation system creating more pollution or less? Using more or less oil?”

Americans we’ve talked to all across the country are 100 percent fed up with spending billions each year without a way to demonstrate that we’re making progress. It’s crucial that your Senators hear today what’s important to you in the transportation bill, before the hearings and floor debates heat up next week.

Take just a minute and tell your Senators you’re counting on them: no more blank checks for transportation without accountability, goals and objectives.

Stay tuned — it’s going to be a busy February here in Washington.

Eastbound Originally uploaded by robholland Take action if you live in one of these Senate Banking Committee states

AL – Sen. Shelby
CO – Sen. Bennet
HI – Sen. Akaka
ID – Sen. Crapo
IL – Sen. Kirk
KS – Sen. Moran
LA – Sen. Vitter
MT – Sen. Tester
NC – Sen. Hagan
NE – Sen. Johanns
NJ – Sen. Menendez
NY – Sen. Schumer
OH – Sen. Brown
OR – Sen. Merkley
PA – Sen. Toomey
RI – Sen. Reed
SC – Sen. DeMint
SD – Tim Johnson
TN – Sen. Corker
VA – Sen. Warner
WI – Sen. Kohl

USA Today covered the news today from the American Public Transportation Association that transit ridership went up another 2 percent nationally in the third quarter, compared to the same period last year.

“We are seeing employment tick up and people are making lifestyle choices,” says Michael Melaniphy, association president. “People think, ‘There must be a better alternative.’ “

This good news comes along with a dose of bad news — the same bad news we’ve been experiencing for the last three or four years. An example from the story:

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which serves the Boston area, is considering fare hikes and service cuts to its 180 bus routes and 17 commuter and subway lines because of a potential $161 million shortfall next year, says Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis. The authority posted record ridership in September and October. Weekday ridership for October increased 3.2% compared with a year earlier.

All across the country, hundreds of transit agencies just like the MBTA are in dire budgetary straits: they’re cutting back on service, laying off workers, and hiking fares. On our interactive map about transit cuts across the country, Alexander in Los Angeles described to us how cuts have affected him:

… I am deeply disappointed by the service cuts. I used to be a regular MTA patron (in Los Angeles), however while the subway and LRT service is more or less OK, the bus service has fallen to a completely unacceptable level. …15-minute headways on some lines turned to 40-minute intervals; this is no exaggeration. I am now back to driving (polluting the air and adding to gridlock, having no other choice…)

Of course, Alexander is somewhat lucky, in that he can afford a car and gas to still make it to work each day. Millions of others depend on public transportation each day without any other options to lean on when their bus starts coming once an hour instead of every 15 minutes.

We talk about this now because a key Senate committee is deciding the fate of public transportation right now. The Senate Banking Committee is writing their portion of the Senate transportation reauthorization and they have jurisdiction over transit.

They need to know that it’s important to give transit agencies the flexibility to use their money not just to buy new buses or railcars but for the operation of those buses and trains. That’s because transit agencies in our larger cities aren’t allowed to use the federal dollars they receive to keep trains and buses running, even in this incredibly difficult time.

Public transportation ridership has been growing three times faster than the US population to reach record highs. Public transit is a driving force in our economy, and we need it now more than ever to help the economy rebound.

So if you live in one of the states listed below or at right, tell your Senators on the Banking Committee to support flexibility for public transportation operations in their draft transportation bill. 

(If you don’t live in a Banking Committee state, the action page won’t let you send a message.)

AL – Sen. Shelby
CO – Sen. Bennet
HI – Sen. Akaka
ID – Sen. Crapo
IL – Sen. Kirk
KS – Sen. Moran
LA – Sen. Vitter
MT – Sen. Tester
NC – Sen. Hagan
NE – Sen. Johanns
NJ – Sen. Menendez
NY – Sen. Schumer
OH – Sen. Brown
OR – Sen. Merkley
PA – Sen. Toomey
RI – Sen. Reed
SC – Sen. DeMint
SD – Tim Johnson
TN – Sen. Corker
VA – Sen. Warner
WI – Sen. Kohl

In a carbon copy replay of exactly what happened last year, a big change will go into effect on the first day of January that could have big ramifications for anybody who takes advantage of the federal tax benefits to help consumers pay for their commutes.

If Congress does nothing by the end of the year, if you take transit to get to work each day you could be paying more out of your own pocket when the tax benefit for transit is cut in half. If that wasn’t enough, drivers will keep enjoying the same great parking benefit ($230) – nearly double what transit commuters will be eligible to receive. We don’t think that’s fair, and Congress needs to hear about it.

So if you spend more than $120 a month on your commute in a vanpool, train or bus, the federal government will be sending a message loud and clear: they’d like you to start driving to work, where you can get $230 for parking deducted from your paycheck tax free.

The transit benefit and the parking benefit were once at different levels, but a provision in the stimulus raised the transit benefit so that everyone could enjoy the tax relief for their commute, no matter how they choose to get to work. When it was due to expire last year at this time, Congress extended it last December after thousands of people — including many of you — wrote and called Congress.

Transportation is the second largest household expense for many households. The millions of Americans who depend on transit to get to work each day shouldn’t have to pay more, and certainly not for something that also saves us energy, reduces congestion and emissions, and uses less oil. Americans need more low-cost transportation options.

Tell Congress to keep things fair by extending the transit benefit and keeping it equal with the parking benefit.

Note: we’ve received a few emails and comments asking about why we’re not pushing for other changes, like lowering the parking benefit to the current level of the transit benefit instead — as well as ideas about including a much more flexible parking cash-out program so people who work for a company with a parking fringe benefit can “cash-out” that money to pay for a transit ride instead. It’s not that we don’t necessarily support those other ideas, but it’s not likely that any of them would make any progress in these last few weeks of the year. The best immediate plan is to ensure that the transit benefit isn’t slashed in half.

Quite a few in Congress have discussed ways to improve the commuting benefits in the long-term transportation bill. Rep. Blumenauer introduced a bill to implement the parking cash-out and equalize the benefit levels, which Streetsblog covered back in May. A more comprehensive and balanced program of commuter benefits is definitely something that we, along with some of our key partners like the Association for Commuter Transportation, are working hard to improve in the reauthorization.

But for now, let your Senators and Representative know that cutting the transit benefit in half come January isn’t a good idea.

The proposal would cut total transportation funding by one-third, kill the tiny slice of dedicated funding for safer walking and biking and drastically reduce transit support, while failing to focus on fixing and repairing our crumbling roads and bridges.

This isn’t over — far from it. We’ve still got a good chance for a better bill with the Senate.

A Senate committee is poised to release their version soon — perhaps within days — and we need to make sure they know they’ve got to do better. Tell the Senate that you’re counting on them to write a better bill than the House.

Our current situation is, in no uncertain terms, bleak:

• 12 percent of our bridges need repair;
• 50 percent of our roads are rated below “good” condition;
• 47,700 people were killed while walking in the last 10 years;
• Unemployment in the construction industry is in the double-digits; and
• More than 150 public transportation systems are cutting service, raising fares or laying off workers.

One thing is clear: This is no time to cut economy-boosting investment by a third, undermine our prospects for safer, cleaner and more affordable options and leave the well-being of our existing infrastructure to chance.

The window to pass a transportation bill this year won’t be open very long. It’s critical that the Senate puts forward a bill soon that addresses these shortcomings in the House version. Send a message to your Senators today before the window closes.

The budget proposal from the Republican Study Committee, which consists of 165 of the 242 GOP House members, released a week or so ago, calls for completely eliminating the main federal transit program, zeroes out Amtrak, cuts all funding for the metro system in the nation’s capital and slashes $2.5 billion in high-speed rail grants.

This shortsighted proposal would derail with uncanny precision exactly the kind of investments that are most critical for creating jobs and developing a 21st Century transportation infrastructure. And as far as transportation spending goes, these are some of the investments that create the most jobs per dollar spent.

The proposal eliminates New Starts, the transportation program that funds all new transit projects in the country, and slashes high-speed rail funding — the same program touted by President Obama to great fanfare in last week’s State of the Union.

It even chops all federal funding for Washington DC’s transit authority, the very transit system that these legislators’ staff and neighbors rely on every day to get to and from work.

This budget is a trial-balloon for the budget fight to come. We need to waste no time making it clear that these kinds of cuts are short-sighted and unacceptable.

Sign our petition objecting to this assault on public transportation funding. We’ll deliver the petition with your signature along with a letter from us and our partners to lawmakers. (Are you a T4 America partner who wants to sign your org onto the letter? Contact Heather Brutz for more info.)

The lawmakers who crafted this budget clearly aren’t aware that millions of Americans — including their own constituents — rely on passenger rail and the types of transit projects these programs fund.

These are also the very projects that pay some of the most far-reaching economic dividends. Study after study has shown that every dollar spent on public transportation generates more jobs than any other form of transportation spending. This proposed budget cuts the investments that create the most jobs – an especially poor decision in the face of a recovering economy.

We can keep this proposal from becoming law if we speak up now and make it clear that Americans aren’t going to sit by as federal investments in transit are gutted.

Sign our petition to protect federal support for transportation and jobs!