State Funding Promises Brighter
Future for Transit
by Peter Bell
The last few months
have been a difficult period for transit advocates, customers and
employees, as well as for the Metropolitan Council. No one likes
the idea of raising transit fares or cutting service. We know that’s
a sure-fire formula for reducing transit ridership, just the opposite
of what most of us would like to see. However, faced with a $60
million budget shortfall in the coming two years, the Council was
forced to increase transit fares by 25 cents across-the-board and
reduce Metro Transit service by 3.5 percent, beginning in September.
The bulk of these cuts involve high-subsidy, low-ridership routes
and route segments.
Fortunately, the global
budget agreement negotiated by Governor Pawlenty and legislative
leaders during the special session spared us from deeper service
cuts that otherwise would have been necessary. The agreement, approved
July 13, 2005 by the Legislature, provided an additional $40 million
for regional transit services. This action will preserve transit
service for more than 200,000 area residents who travel by bus
or rail every day, about a third of whom have no other means of
transportation. It is an essential first step toward expanding
the transit system and keeping pace with our region’s
growth.
By the year 2030, we estimate that the seven-county area will grow
by nearly 1 million people, 471,000 households and 563,000 jobs.
As I often have said, growth is a good thing. It brings new jobs,
economic opportunities, higher property values and additional tax
revenue to help pay for essential public services.
But accommodating growth
is not always easy, as anyone who has been stuck in rush-hour traffic
can readily attest. By the year 2030, the projected growth of our
region will add 4 million daily trips to our already crowded transportation
network, a 37 percent increase from current levels. Traffic congestion
already ranks as the No. 1 concern of metro area residents, according
to our annual survey. There are no “silver bullets” that
will eliminate congestion, but we believe improved transit can
help slow its growth and improve mobility for everyone.
The Council’s long-range transportation plan calls for increasing
transit ridership 50 percent by 2020, and doubling it by 2030. The
plan includes developing five new bus and/or rail “transitways” by
2020, as well as adding new express bus service, limited-stop routes,
park-and-ride lots and other passenger amenities.
With the help of Governor Pawlenty, the Council secured nearly $54
million in new bonding money to begin implementing our plan. The
legislation includes:
• $37.5 million for the construction of the Northstar commuter
rail line between Minneapolis and Big Lake.
• $10 million for bus rapid transit in the Cedar Avenue corridor
from the Mall of America in Bloomington to Lakeville.
• $5.25 million for an 11-mile light-rail line or bus rapid transit
in the Central corridor on University Avenue between downtown St. Paul
and downtown Minneapolis. (A cost-benefit analysis of the two alternatives
is currently underway.)
• $500,000 for continued work on the Red Rock corridor from Hastings
through downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis.
• $500,000 for work on the Rush Line corridor from downtown St.
Paul through Ramsey, Washington, Chisago and Pine Counties.
Along with the $40 million
in additional operating funds, the bonding package represents a
vote of confidence in the Council’s plan
to improve our regional transit system, provide transportation options
for more of our residents and slow the growth in congestion.
Peter Bell is chair
of the Metropolitan Council, a 17-member body whose responsibilities
include regional planning and transit.
