Invest in Transit, not Cars, Says PIRG

The U.S. federation of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) is releasing a report that criticizes the latest Bush budget, which moves $3.2 billion in transit money to, guess what, highways.

“We’ve got everything from worsening oil dependency and urban traffic congestion to rising gas prices and a booming demand for public transit,” said John Krieger, a transportation advocate at the group. “Moving in the wrong direction is tremendously irresponsible.” ::Wall Street Journal

From the Press Release:

Washington, D.C.: Bush Transportation Budget Moves in Wrong Direction, Hides Problems

U.S. PIRG strongly criticized President Bush’s proposed 2009 budget for reducing transit spending and raiding the Mass Transit Account at a time when national trends show the need for aggressive new investment in public transportation. The President’s FY09 budget proposed cutting $202 million from transit spending and transferring $3.2 billion from funds dedicated to transit.

With more than 10 billion trips taken annually, the growth rate of public transportation has outpaced the growth rate of the population and vehicle miles traveled on our nation’s roads over the past decade. According to a Zogby poll released last month, a majority of Americans (53%) say they would use mass transit if it were easily available where they live and work. Forty-seven percent (47%) of those who travel alone by car to work hold the same opinion.