RTA Testimony to Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission
November 7, 2008
Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, Director Rahn, good morning. I am Margie Richcreek, Chair of the Regional Transit Alliance in Kansas City. We are a nonprofit organization formed 10 years ago to promote improvement and extension of public transit throughout the Kansas City region — part of our effort to become America’s Green Region.
As you probably know, Kansas City had two light-rail issues on the ballot this week. A 3/8-cent sales tax was turned down by Kansas City voters by margin of 56 to 44 percent. A 1/2-cent sales tax was approved by North Kansas City voters for the two miles of the proposed light-rail line in that city.
While the Kansas City light-rail proposal was defeated, that does not in any way reflect public sentiment toward public transit.
Ridership on the Area Transportation Authority’s buses has increased by 13 percent over a year ago. Weekday ridership is running about 60,000 — and on some days as high as 65,000. Ridership on our popular MAX bus rapid transit line is over 4,000, and bus rapid transit is in design now for the Troost route, which serves 9,000 riders daily. That service will begin in 2010.
We know that very high gas prices earlier this year helped propel transit ridership nationwide to levels not seen in 20 years, and also resulted in declines in vehicle miles traveled for the first time in recent memory. People need and want transit.
Meanwhile, MoDOT has been 99 percent focused on highways, and Missouri is the only state with two major metropolitan areas that has provided only a pittance of state support for public transit — woefully inadequate.
But there’s reason for hope. We understand that your appropriation request for next year includes a very significant increase for transit. We very much appreciate that important step in the right direction, and we anticipate working with our legislators to assure that increase..
As we look to the future, we know there is potential for a transportation funding initiative, perhaps in 2010. Our position, of course, is that transit must be a significant part of any such initiative.
There are other reasons to be optimistic as well. You are building the new Christopher S. Bond Bridge across the Missouri River, and we of the RTA are working with the kcICON traffic management committee to make transit a part of the solution to construction related congestion. In response to our efforts, MoDOT has enabled the KCATA to put bigger buses on the North Oak transit route, thereby increasing its capacity. As a result, ridership on that route is now 20 percent above a year ago. MoDOT has also funded a promotional piece about Northland transit service, and we have worked closely with the ATA on its content.
On the national scene, we expect an economic stimulus package for infrastructure to come out of Congress in the next few weeks. Nobody knows the details about how it will be distributed, of course, but we think ready-to-go transit projects should be part of your plan for using that money. After all, this will be General Fund money, not Highway Trust Fund money, and thus it should not be limited to just highways.
Finally, a federal transportation authorization bill should come out of Congress next year. We ask that you support increased funding for transit, and, perhaps more important, strengthened policies to encourage cities and towns to develop in ways that are more transit friendly and infrastructure-efficient.
Margie Richcreek, Chair
Regional Transit Alliance
