Responsible investment
In a December 2007 poll of 1000 people, given a hypothetical $100 to invest in transportation, Americans said they would spend $62 on trains and rail, buses, bike paths, and sidewalks, and only $38 on roads. (Source: Harris Interactive poll [+/- 3 pts])
Unfortunately, our nation’s transportation policy has not matched the will of its people.
The federal government spends tens of billions of dollars a year on transportation – 80 percent of which goes to road construction and maintenance, and 20 percent of which goes to transit. In a December 2007, only 23 percent of Americans surveyed said that such a split is the proper way to allocate tax dollars. (Source: Harris Interactive December 2007 poll of 1000 likely voters [+/- 3 pts])
With the scheduled reauthorization of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2009, Congress has an opportunity to respond to needs of the American people and create a transportation program that will foster economic competiveness and improve our infrastructure so that it can respond to the demands of the 21st century.
We should be setting national transportation standards while empowering local communities to decide what is necessary to meet those goals as well as the needs of its neighborhoods and residents. We need spend money responsibly to fix roads, highways and bridges while building a world-class rail network that will link our cities and foster economic competitiveness. Finally, we have to create policies and programs that reflect the realities of our world by giving Americans opportunities to go to work or the grocery store without draining their savings at the gas pump.
Facts:
Asked if Congress should spend more money maintaining and repairing roads and bridges, expanding and improving roads and bridges, or expanding and improving mass transit, 40 of Americans said we should maintain and repair roads while only 24 percent said we should expand and improve them. 33 percent of respondents said we should expand and improve mass transit. (Source: Smart Growth American and National Association of Realtors, “Growth and Transportation Survey,” October 2007. http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/narsgareport2007.html)
87 percent of Americans believe that big oil companies and highway lobbyists have a bigger impact over Congress than people like themselves. (Source: Harris Interactive December 2007 poll of 1000 likely voters [+/- 3 pts])
Nearly 60 percent of Americans believe there are not enough public transportation options in their community. (Source: Harris Interactive December 2007 poll [+/- 3 pts])
