* In 2005, Americans took 9.7 billion trips on public transportation - 15 times the number of trips they took on domestic airlines. 1,2
* From 1995 through 2005, public transportation ridership increased by 25 percent, 1,3 a growth rate higher than the 11 percent increase in U.S. population4 and higher than the 22 percent growth in use of the nation's highways over the same period.
* Without public transportation, travel delays would have increased by 27 percent.
* Public transportation produces 95 percent less carbon monoxide (CO), 90 percent less in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and about half as much carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), per passenger mile, as private vehicles.
* Real estate-residential, commercial or business-that is served by public transportation is valued more highly by the public than similar properties not as well served by transit.
* More than four in five seniors believe public transportation is a better alternative to driving alone, especially at night.

Each year, public transportation use in the U.S. saves:
* 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline, representing 4 million gallons of gasoline per day
* The equivalent of 34 supertankers of oil, or a supertanker leaving the Middle East every 11 days
* The equivalent of 140,769 fewer service station tanker trucks clogging our streets each year
* The equivalent of 300,000 fewer automobile fill-ups each day


In addition to reduced pollution, direct health benefits of public transportation include:
* Lower rates of respiratory and heart disease. The health effects of mobile source pollution can be severe and even life-threatening, particularly to children, older adults and adults with respiratory illnesses. Many groups are at greater risk because of chronic lung or cardiovascular disease, including people with diabetes, whose cardiovascular systems are threatened by particle pollution.
* Lower accident rates. According to a 2006 report, public transit has 0.03 fatal accidents per 100 million miles-about 1/25th the rate for automobiles; injuries as well as fatalities are reduced.19
* Quality of life. Public transportation fosters a more active lifestyle, encouraging more people to walk, bike and jog to transit stops. An analysis of 2001 National Household Travel Survey data for transit users finds that walking to and from transit helps inactive persons attain a significant portion of the recommended minimum daily exercise they need; 29 percent of respondents get 30 minutes or more of exercise a day from walking to or from transit.20

According to an article in the latest issue of the University of South Florida Journal of Public Transportation, "A survey of 17 transit-oriented developments (TOD) in five U.S. metropolitan areas showed that vehicle trips per dwelling unit were substantially below what the Institute of Transportation Engineer's Trip Generation manual estimates. Over a typical weekday period, the surveyed TOD housing projects averaged 44 percent fewer vehicle trips than that estimated by the manual (3.754 versus 6.715).

"Vehicle trip rates of transit-oriented housing projects were particularly low in metropolitan Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon, both known for successful TOD planning at the regional and corridor levels. Trip rates also generally fell as neighborhood densities increased. Local officials should account for the lower automobile use of those residing in TOD housing through such measures as traffic impact-fee adjustments and reduced off- street parking requirements."

What's with Baltimore County? Working on a walkable Towson and a car centric Owings Mills? More info in Gersald Neily blog:

[Yes you are reading right, because people are driving less and taking mass transit more they are cutting mass transit.]

Proposed reductions in service a result of budget cuts

The sources of revenue that support the operation of MTA's MARC Train and Commuter Bus services have declined dramatically since the start of the fiscal year on July 1. Regrettably, MTA must reduce its budget, and while the majority of reductions are taking place in the administrative budget some MARC Train and Commuter Bus services are proposed for elimination.

The public is encouraged to provide input regarding the proposed modifications. MTA will hold public hearings throughout the State from November 17 through November 25, 2008 to receive public comments on these proposals. Citizens may provide comments at any hearing that is convenient, or may send comments directly to the MTA by mail or e-mail. All comments received by December 26, 2008 will be considered before proposals are finalized.

What lives when public transportation is used, and dies when it's not? Potentially all of us.

This message is hauntingly conveyed by a street art installation showing polar bears coming to life as a subway passes beneath them:

The Corridor Transit Corporation, the manager of Howard Transit and Connect a Ride, will be holding it's annual Transportation Summit on Thursday, November 13th at the BWI Marriott in Linthicum. This year the CTC summit will be focusing on creating regional and acheivable solutions to Central Maryland's transportation problems. Learn more about the CTC summit here.

Coming Soon!

Do you or could you walk, bicycle and take public transportation to most of your destinations but still need a car every once in a while?

Do you drive to work because you need a car to get to meetings during the day?

Car sharing can help!

The Parking Authority of Baltimore City is helping to launch Baltimore CarShare, a non-profit car sharing organization that will provide a network of conveniently located vehicles for members to rent for as little as a half an hour. Low hourly rates include maintenance, insurance, designated parking and gas!

Members feel free to give up one or more of their cars knowing a car sharing vehicle is available nearby whenever they need one. Employees can save the wear and tear on their own vehicles and use a car sharing vehicle instead.

Imagine a fleet of hybrid vehicles, pickup trucks, minivans, Mini Coopers, BMW's and convertibles available at the click of a mouse.

Car sharing can take up to 20 vehicles off the road!

The move by the Ken Ulman-led Baltimore Regional Transportation Board to designate $340 million in future state transportation funding for mass transit projects has raised the ire of some politicians.
...
But last week, officials who represent Howard's rural areas decried the change, saying it was unfair for their constituents to pay gasoline taxes to fund mass transit that they rarely use.
...
"Some people feel we can build our way out of this by building more roads, but that's a shortsighted focus," Ulman said.

"The bottom line in all this is the public wants options," he said. "We see it from the petitions we get. They want a [transit] system that works, especially in the Baltimore region."

* Since 1956, federal, state and local governments have invested nine times more capital funding in highway subsidies than in transit.
* In 2004, state governments spent nearly 13 times more public funds on highways than on transit.
* The process for securing funding for new transit lines is far more onerous and less certain than for highway projects, with the federal government generally picking up a smaller share of the tab for new transit lines than for new highway projects.

Yglesias also notes:

Of course you can't bring this subject up without legions of people informing you that the gas tax pays for the highways. This simply isn't true. All the funds raised by the gas tax are spent on highways, and then a bunch of additional money is also spent on highways.

Mark Delucchi at the U.C. Davis Institute for Transportation Studies backs that up as well. In a study published last fall, Delucchi found that "current tax and fee payments to the government by motor-vehicle users fall short of government expenditures related to motor-vehicle use by approximately 20 to 70 cents per gallon of all motor fuel." U.S. drivers do not pay their own way.

After the jump is another great chart from A Better Way to Go. Anyone want to guess how many millions of dollars in gasoline cost savings and tons of carbon dioxide emissions reductions the New York City Transit produces annually? [Hint, start in the billions.]