Reproduced with permission from Transportation Watch. 
Copyright 2003 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) http://www.bna.com

The next surface transportation law should "stay the course" of current law, but make further efforts to protect the environment, expand transit options, and make communities more livable, according to a reauthorization blueprint released March 10 by the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP).

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) made inroads into numerous aspects of life, said STPP President Ann Canby, but the job is not finished.

"While we have begun this journey, we are nowhere near the end, so stay the course," Canby advised lawmakers writing TEA-21's successor.

Canby said it was too early to decide how much money an overall bill should authorize and said it was STPP's job to focus on policies, not specific funding levels.

STPP's general plan for reauthorization would have Congress continuing to provide a substantial amount of funding for highway and transit projects, but asks lawmakers to "level the playing field" between those dollar amounts, accelerate investment in transit New Starts, and equalize commuter benefits with parking benefits.

In a section of their blueprint dedicated to "small fixes" to TEA-21 that will provide "big results," STPP supports increased resources for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program, ensuring that those funds are increased "relative to the number of metropolitan areas made eligible," and directing some of those funds to local areas not served by a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and that do not meet federal air quality standards for ozone and carbon monoxide.

A major portion of STPP's reauthorization plan is increasing local-decision making, with the organization suggesting Congress provide all Surface Transportation Program funds to local areas and MPOs, and fund locally-developed initiatives.

Giving local officials greater control over resources allows communities to be more responsive to its residents, said Steve Kinsey, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission of the San Francisco Bay Area.

"By giving locally-elected officials more of a voice in how transportation dollars are spent, there is more success in the investment of those dollars," Kinsey said.


Real Examples of Community Changes

The general theme of STPP's plan focuses around making communities more livable by including transit and bike paths in state and regional planning, but by going one step further and including the community in the decision-making process.

"We need to create opportunities for those in the community who want to rise up out poverty," said Rev. Andre Schumake, director of the Richmond (Calif.) Improvement Association.

Schumake, a Baptist minister in Contra Costa County, said children in his community were not attending school at the end of the month because their parents could not afford their transportation costs and the schools in turn were losing state and federal dollars because their allocation is based on average daily attendance.

The solution, Schumake said, was to work with Kinsey's commission and arrange a program for free or reduced-cost bus passes for students, which became a win-win situation for students and schools.

He also said that Welfare-to-Work participants restricted in their job choice because of limited transit options have benefited from his organization and Kinsey's organization working to increase options for them.

"If we're going to transform a community we need to put people to work and to get them to work, we need reliable transportation," Schumake said.


Livable Communities, Healthy Lifestyles

STPP is a coalition of more than 600 organizations working to promote transportation policy and investment, energy conservation, clean air, the aesthetic quality of neighborhoods and healthy lifestyles.

Transportation systems and community planning directly affect American's access to physical activity, according to the American Heart Association.

"Fewer people walk to work than a decade ago and 75 percent of children don't bike or walk to school, partly because of the lack of accommodations for walkers and bicyclers," said Diane Canova, vice president of advocacy for the American Heart Association. "In many areas walking and bicycling are difficult, if not impossible, because of the lack of sidewalks, poor vehicle speed-limit enforcement, criminal activity, and unsafe crossings at busy streets, among other things."

Citing statistics that more than 30 percent of Americans are obese and 25 percent of children ages five to 10 have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, Canova said community design and transportation policy are crucial to developing a healthy lifestyle.



By Heather M. Rothman