From Streetsblog Network member Mobilizing the Region, the blog of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, come some numbers that members of Congress should look at closely as they consider transit funding in the stimulus package:
It seems that even as gasoline prices are starting to come down, the economic recession is suppressing driving. Vehicle miles traveled typically fall with the GDP, but what differs this time around is that transit ridership is not suffering -- and, in fact, is even growing in most places. An American Public Transportation Association official told MTR that as Americansshifted to transit to save on gas, they “discovered” the benefits and convenience of transit. Significant unemployment could dampen the growth in transit ridership in coming months, but for now Americans are still piling onto buses and trains.
Driving fell throughout the U.S. in November 2008.Good facts to know when you make your calls to Congress in support of Rep. Jerry Nadler's amendment to the stimulus.
Also today around the network: Ryan Avent on The Bellows writes about how falling prices for raw materials and the slump in home and commercial construction make this an ideal time to invest in infrastructure:
[T]he bottomline is this: when the economy recovers, resources will again approachfull utilization. And when that happens, governments will have to paymore to build needed projects, and government investment will crowd outsome private investment. Fiscal stimulus skeptics focus their ire onthe potential for government waste in spending, and that potential isthere. A full accounting would also consider the opportunity cost offailing to invest now while costs are low and there’s plenty of slackin the system. There’s a very good case that the best way to savetaxpayer money over the long-term is to build as much infrastructure aspossible right now.
Plus: Bike PGH reports on the mayor of Pittsburgh's call for more bike racks, and Making Places reports on the first meeting of the DIYcity group, which is aimed at making cities more user-friendly through Web 2.0 technology.
