|
In this Issue
Transportation proposals being considered by the Minnesota
Legislature are going to have serious impacts on your daily commute to work.
The House Transportation Omnibus Bill contains cuts to Metro Transit that will
blow their budget deficit from $74 million over the next two years to $140 million. At a time when the state has a $1.6 billion budget surplus,
legislators are considering cuts that will force a 40% reduction in basic bus
service.
A cut in bus service of this size will literally put
thousands more cars on the road every day, adding to rush hour congestion
everywhere. 40% of downtown Minneapolis workers take the bus every day, in
Saint Paul that number is almost 30%. If you work downtown, you can expect to
see fewer places to park and higher prices.
While transit can’t eliminate congestion, it can ease it a
lot. At rush hour, a bus can take 40 cars off the road and a light rail train
can take up to 600. Without transit, I-35W would require an additional 1.5
lanes of traffic flow to move the same number of users during rush hour.
Transit is an integral part of our transportation system, it makes roads more
efficient.
These cuts are going against all of the advice being given
to legislators. Every major business group in the region, including the Saint
Paul, Minneapolis and Twin West Chambers have backed proposals supporting more
investment in transit. A dozen CEOs from Fortune 500 companies headquartered
here have urged lawmakers to expand our transit system, not cut it.
It’s difficult to understand why lawmakers are ignoring the
business community and the cutting this essential service.
Sincerely,
Council Member Ed Reynoso, District 9
The Metropolitan
Council is seeking public input on a proposal to raise transit fares in the
Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Proposed fare increases would affect all
regional transit services, including those operated by Metro Transit, Metro
Mobility, the Metropolitan Council, (including Transit Link and suburban
service), and suburban transit providers (Maple Grove Transit, Minnesota Valley
Transit Authority, Plymouth MetroLink, and SouthWest Transit). Transit fares,
under state law and regional policy must be set on a regional basis and be
consistent across providers.
Learn more about the proposal and to weigh in.
Demand for Metro
Mobility service continues to grow, but legislation that passed in the
Minnesota House of Representatives would likely mean cuts in the transportation
service for people with disabilities, as well as fare increases.
Transit Link dial-a-ride service is a
discretionary program the Council provides in areas where regular-route transit
service is not available. The Council would likely be forced to eliminate this
service under proposed funding levels, hitting suburban areas especially hard.
As approved by the House, HF861 would increase the projected
regional transit deficit from $74 million to $140 million, and fail to meet the
needs of the growing disability community. The legislation would force cuts
throughout Council transit services, including Metro Transit, Metro Mobility,
Transit Link and other transit service under contract to the Council.
The House bill would also require fare increases throughout the transit system,
above and beyond what the Council is currently considering.
For Metro Mobility, the current peak-hour fare is $4.00 per ride; $3.00 during
off-peak hours. Council officials worry about the effect of further increases
on a vulnerable population living on limited incomes.
Budget cuts would
reduce Metro Mobility service area and hours
The House bill would fund Metro Mobility
with the Motor Vehicle Sales Tax (MVST) rather than state general funds. But
that doesn’t address the effects that cuts to Metro Transit service have on
Metro Mobility, nor the continued growth in demand for Metro Mobility.
Read the entire article.
State lawmakers are debating a number of bills this session that would have big implications for metro area public transit. Both the House and Senate have passed initial bills that would lead to service cuts; the proposed budget cuts by the House would lead to service cuts of 40%, impacting dozens of routes.
Impact of House proposed cuts on transit service
What’s next
Five members from each body will serve as conferees to work out the differences between the Senate and House bills before new votes.
In the News
Read the entire article.
On Monday, March 27,
Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck, transit advocates, business groups,
and local officials urged the House leadership to withdraw their proposed
legislation and pursue a sustainable fix to transit funding in the Twin Cities
metro region.
View
highlights from the press conference. |
