November 2, 2006
The Honorable Mary E. Peters
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 10200
Washington, DC 20590
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Dear Secretary Peters:
On behalf of the more than 1,500 member organizations of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), I write to express our views on public transportation investment needs as they relate to the Administration's Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget proposal for the Department of Transportation (DOT).
APTA believes that investment in transit infrastructure is an excellent use of federal funds. Public transportation is a key element of our surface transportation system. It reduces congestion and makes our existing highway system work better, particularly during peak hours, reduces dependence on oil imports, and provides mobility for millions of Americans. To realize these benefits, APTA trusts that the Administration's FY 2008 budget will set transit funding at the $9.731 billion level authorized and guaranteed by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, P.L. 109-59).
In 2005, Americans used public transportation 9.7 billion times, benefiting the entire nation by reducing congestion, improving air quality and conserving energy resources. In the first half of 2006 ridership in the United States grew by 3.2 percent, compared to the same period in 2005. Every weekday, Americans take 33 million trips on public transportation, and that number will grow as more people choose the affordability and convenience of transit.
APTA agrees with the U.S. Department of Transportation and others that congestion is one of the biggest threats to our economic prosperity and way of life. Public transportation is already one of the most effective ways to fight congestion. The Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report measured the congestion savings of public transportation in 85 urban areas and found that without public transportation:
- Congestion delays in these 85 cities would have increased 27 percent.
- Residents in the urban areas studied would have lost an additional $18.2 billion in time and fuel.
While public transportation is a proven solution in the fight against congestion, Americans cannot use what they do not have. Only one in four households now have access to adequate public transportation, and about one half have only limited transit service.
In addition to our fight against congestion, we are also confronted with tremendous energy challenges. Public transportation is the quickest way for individuals to avoid the high cost of gasoline, and it also addresses national energy goals. At its current level of use, public transportation is already reducing and reshaping America's energy use:
- Transit is fuel efficient. Transit saves fuel by carrying multiple passengers in each bus and rail car. In total, public transportation riders in the United States save 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline each year. That equals 4 million gallons of gasoline or about 300,000 fill-ups each and every day.
- Transit makes the United State less dependent on foreign oil. Public transportation displaces travel-related energy demand from imported petroleum to other forms of energy that are generated using domestic resources, like coal, wind, hydropower, and nuclear power.
Our surface transportation system provides a competitive edge for the United States, and we need to retain that edge in today's global economy. Substantial federal investment is needed just to maintain the system. The most recently available American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) Bottom Line report documents unmet transit capital needs of $43 billion a year. According to an APTA survey, new capital funds are needed for more than 280 projects that will add 4,044 system miles for fixed-guideway transit alone. To meet these needs, APTA believes that the federal government should invest no less in public transportation than the $9.731 billion level that was authorized and guaranteed by SAFETEA-LU.
Thank you for your consideration of APTA's views. Should you have questions about these or other issues, please have your staff contact Rob Healy of APTA's Government Affairs Department at (202) 496-4811 or email rhealy@apta.com.
Sincerely yours,
William W. Millar
President
WWM/tjj
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