Voters throughout America present assist for extra transportation choices
All through america, numerous measures for funding transportation enhancements had been permitted, advancing efforts to spend money on the remaining on the native degree.
Along with the presidential, Senate, and Home races that occurred throughout this tumultuous election cycle, American voters lately selected a wide range of transportation and housing measures for his or her communities. (See our latest put up on success for transit in Nashville right here.) Regardless of the end result of the federal elections, these measures symbolize a need to spend money on the remaining of our transportation system and safe extra journey choices. Listed below are 4 main highlights from the many measures that had been voted for across the nation.
Columbus, Ohio
Subject 47 raises the gross sales tax for the Central Ohio Transportation Authority (COTA) from 0.5% to 1% so as to fund LinkUs. The plan requires 45% extra bus service, the creation of 5 bus fast transit (BRT) strains to create quicker and extra environment friendly bus service. This contains devoted lanes, precedence at alerts, and 14 new bus routes. The plan would additionally present eight new COTA//Plus zones, which offer sponsored rideshare in neighborhoods of Columbus with out bus service.
Cash from the brand new gross sales tax will even be used for pedestrian infrastructure to assist walkable neighborhoods close to the brand new transit strains. LinkUs will create alternative and entry for Columbus, which is predicted to develop to over three million residents by 2050.
Durham, North Carolina
The Durham Streets and Sidewalk Measure authorizes the town to situation $115 million in bonds for road and sidewalk tasks. This cash might be utilized in a wide range of tasks, reminiscent of including 12.4 miles of sidewalk, repaving an estimated 100 miles of streetscape, and persevering with an ongoing undertaking to pave the remaining 10.5 miles of unpaved streets in Durham. The success of this measure reveals that voters in cities like Durham perceive that fixing it first is significant to assist a well-functioning transportation community.
Fairfax County and Arlington County, Virginia
Each the Fairfax County and Arlington County transportation bond measures present tens of millions of {dollars} of bonds for public transit. Fairfax County offered $180 million in bonds for the Washington Metropolitan Space Transit Authority (WMATA) to help with capital prices of buying land for transportation services, new practice vehicles, and extra. Arlington County additionally offered $72 million in bonds, together with $44.3 million in funds for WMATA capital enhancements, $22 million for enhancing native streets, and $1.5 million for sidewalk and curb upkeep, and $1.3 million for road lighting and miscellaneous transportation tasks.
WMATA has made nice strides in recovering ridership because the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and these funds will permit WMATA to maintain offering frequent, dependable service all through DC and its surrounding counties.
Denver, Colorado and surrounding counties
Measure 7A permits the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) to gather and reinvest income from gross sales tax above the initially permitted ranges in 1999. Eradicating the bounds from a long time prior permits the RTD to proceed to enhance service for the Denver Metropolitan Space for the three million residents in Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, and Jefferson Counties in addition to parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, and Weld Counties, which depend on RTD’s bus, mild rail, and regional rail strains.
Why it issues
Municipalities across the nation voted to spend money on the remaining on this final election, together with funding for a extra balanced transportation system that designs streets for security over the pace of personal cars.
Whereas not each transit or transportation funding measure was handed, the bulk had been permitted by voters. And the place transportation measures failed, like in Charleston County’s Particular Gross sales and Use Tax poll measure, voters rejected funding for tasks that may have gone to a freeway enlargement and negatively impacted the native surroundings.
You will need to acknowledge the progress that ahead pondering communities within the nation have made in the direction of making our transportation system extra equitable and sustainable for everybody. When figuring out the way to assist our nation’s transportation system, we hope that the incoming administration takes be aware of those developments.
