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When Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2022, it provided historic investments in transit systems and transit infrastructure across the country. Now, Congress is considering the reauthorization of this important law, and we need to ensure that it addresses safety over speed, invests in road and bridge repairs instead of new construction, and creates a complete transportation network, including travel by foot, bike, bus, or train, not just investments in highways. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is crafting the reauthorization bill and they need to hear from us right now. Together, we’re urging the committee to prioritize the following transit policy investments: 1. Transit should have a level playing field with highways. Transit is inadequate in America in part because it has been woefully underfunded for decades. The federal transportation program provides $4 for roads for every $1 it provides to transit. With the 21st-century climate and equity challenges facing us, that 80:20 split is no longer appropriate (if it ever was). Congress needs to increase transit funding so it is on a level playing field with highways. Through reauthorization, Congress should equalize the amount of funding for transit and highways and require federal matching requirements to be equivalent for highway and transit projects. 2. Great transit service requires federal operating funds. The federal transit program primarily provides funding for capital investments, not for day-to-day operating expenses. Transit agencies can purchase new buses or build new rail lines with federal funds, but often lack funding to pay for fuel or operators. A new bus serves no purpose without the money to operate it. Congress needs to create an ongoing, predictable source of funding for transit operations. Funding with service standards ensures the additional funding is used to improve service, not replace local funding. Given the workforce shortages the bill should include a set-aside for workforce recruitment and retention. 3. Communities should be transit-ready. Transit in America is hamstrung by roads and land uses not designed to accommodate it. Frequent transit requires roads incorporating transit lanes, traffic signal priority, and safe pedestrian access between transit stops and key destinations, among other features. Communities should prioritize transit-friendly and higher intensity land uses along transit corridors. Any reauthorization needs to update roadway design standards to require transit-supportive elements, fund transit-supportive activities, and update planning and zoning codes. 4. Small and rural communities deserve great transit. Transit providers in small and rural areas often struggle to meet their communities’ needs due to a lack of funding and staff capacity. Rural Americans are isolated from jobs, healthcare, and other essential needs. We need to remove barriers and improve the federal transit program to increase access to quality transit in small towns and rural areas. 5. Fix it First: The federal transportation program should prioritize existing maintenance on roads, bridges, and highways ahead of building new things that require decades of additional repair costs. Too often, infrastructure projects prioritize new roads and highways and neglect public transit, safety of pedestrians, and repairs of existing infrastructure. With a bipartisan group of Representatives working to pass a transportation bill to further invest in our communities, they need to hear from us now. Thank you for your continued activism and support. - LeeAnn LeeAnn Hall
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