People are waking up to the fact that they can save big money by using public transportation to get around the city and parking the car. The problem that many are encountering however is that due to budget crises across the state many times public transportation is not available when and where they need it.
Fair Share for Metro position is that local jurisdictions must pay their “fair share” to stop crippling service cuts to transit. People in many big cities such as Washington DC are faced with shorter trains, much longer wait times and other obstacles that make it hard for them keep using public transportation.
In some metro areas many people do not even own vehicles because it is not a necessity. Which means if these people can not easily and affordably get where they need to go many services and things can stop functioning. Moving people around the city is a necessity to keeping the city moving. This is especially true in areas like New York or Washington DC because so many live in surrounding areas and work in the metro areas.
Statistically investments in public transportation have long term economic benefits. On top of keeping the economy moving by keeping the workers moving, there are also less road projects that need to be completed to alleviate gridlock.
When less people are driving there are also fewer accidents which means less emergency personnel needed to deal with them. Although a good transportation system requires government contribution, not contributing can be even more detrimental to a local economy.
The savings for riders of public transportation are also huge. The America Public Transportation Association’s “Transit Savings Report” claims that motorists can save up to $9,515 per years by using public transportation and parking the car. With gas prices rising everyday this number is sure to be climbing as well.
So the economy wins, the people win and the environment also wins. We all know the environmental impacts of having all of our gas guzzlers on the road. People who are using public transportation have a much smaller carbon footprint than those who do not. A lower carbon footprints time 1000’s and 1000’s of people is a huge positive impact on our environment.
Fair Share for Metro or the Sierra Club, the organization behind the movement, is not looking for a free ride. They understand that customer receipts are a big part of what pays for public transportation. They also realize that often state funds help as well as even federal funds sometimes.
Their main complaint is that governments on a local level are not paying their fair share of these services and if they did it would make up the difference of what they need to have to be efficient and really provide the service people need.
The Fair Share for Metro movement says this is a problem we all need to share in the responsibility of. Public transportation and easy access to it are extremely crucial to our future and our economy so we all have to work together to provide solutions that make it easier for people to use.