Walker Budget Eliminates Transit As Transportation, So No Dedicated Money From Gas Taxes
from Streetsblog.net by Angie Schmitt
In an enormously destructive move, Scott Walker’s budget removes transit as a transportation category – - per Walker, transportation budgets are not the private preserve of the road-builder – - so “financing transit operation aids from the general fund will begin in fiscal 2102-2013.”
That means bus systems will have to fight with other services for state aid in a shrinking state budget – - while highway aids gets a $410.5 million increase.
Look for local bus systems to raise fares, cut services, lay off drivers, then die.
We’ll be arriving at the Walker Promised Land, where every low-income person has a car, insurance, money for maintenance, repairs and fuel.
As gas goes to $4.
Something like 30% of City of Milwaukee residents do not have access to a car, and rely on the bus system – - transit, only since rail has been disallowed by Republicans since light rail planning was killed fifteen years ago.
Like the rest of his budget which hammers public schools and social services, this budget is aimed squarely at lower-income Wisconsinites.