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National
Americans Ready to Shift Public Funds to Support Transit
Even before gas prices spiked high above $4 per gallon this spring and summer, a Harris Interactive poll found last December that 81 percent of Americans would radically change federal outlays of the 1998 Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) from 79 percent for roads, 20 percent for mass transit, and 1 percent for biking and walking, to 37, 41, and 22 percent, respectively, in its 2009 replacement bill -- a crucial public opinion readjustment, with the potential benefits of a new funding formula quantified by the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) nonprofit in its Active Transportation for America: The Case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking report, just presented to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Democratic Chairman James Oberstar.
Confident that many short, up to three-mile car trips, now accounting for about half of the total, can be made on foot or by bike, RTC researchers calculated benefits of biking and walking as a mobility mode for its current 9.6 percent of all transportation (Status Quo), and for its growth to 13 and 25 percent (Modest Scenario and Substantial Scenario).
The status quo benefits would greatly increase under the two scenarios: from 23 to 69 and 199 in billions of avoided miles of driving a year; from 1.4 to 3.8 and 10.3 in billions of saved gallons of fuel; from 12 to 33 and 91 in millions of tons of reduced CO2 emissions, and from 3 to 5 and 9 in average minutes of daily physical activity per person.
The monetary value of all these benefits would rise from 4.1 to 10.4 and 65.9 in billions of dollars a year.
''The report illustrates the groundswell of public demand for investment in varied transportation choices,'' stressed RTC President Keith Laughlin, expecting Congress to study the data in its work on the new transportation bill.
''Americans want compelling opportunities to improve their communities with bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Having transportation choices will save people billions of dollars in fuel costs and millions of hours wasted in gridlock.''
RTC Vice President of Policy Kevin Mills said, ''By making active transportation a viable option for everyday travel, we will cost-effectively reduce oil dependence, climate pollution and obesity rates while providing more and better choices for getting around town.''
And RTC Research Director Thomas Gotschi added, ''The report shows that modest increases in individuals bicycling and walking could lead to an annual reduction of 70 billion miles of driving, and more substantial increases could avoid 200 billion miles each year. This could cut oil dependence and climate pollution from passenger vehicles by 3 to 8 percent, out-performing the historic contribution of other prominent solutions such as gas-electric hybrid vehicles.
Click here to download the report (48 pages/5.2mb). -- Rails to Trails 10/20/2008
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