Editorials

Published: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Public transit gains on the right track

Every time the price of gasoline spikes, it fuels a national debate over the price point at which consumers begin to keep their beloved automobiles at home and seek out more public modes of transportation.

Judging by the release last week of a national report on public transit ridership trends, $4 a gallon would appear to be the tipping point for at least some motorists.

In fact, the high price of gasoline and a national recession combined to do what the environmental community has been advocating for years: reduce the nation’s consumption of oil and drive up the use of public transportation.

Those are among the key findings contained in “Getting on Track: Record Transit Ridership Increases Energy Independence,” an 18-page report compiled by the Environment America Research and Policy Center, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Boston with offices all across the country.

Here is a quick summary of the center’s findings for 2008, which were initially reported in last Thursday’s Telegraph:

• The demand for oil fell by 6 percent, from 20.7 million barrels a day to 19.5 million.
• Public transportation trips rose by 4 percent to 10.7 billion, the highest level in 52 years.
• And the number of vehicle miles traveled on the nation’s roadways fell by 3.6 percent.
New Hampshire’s figures were equally impressive.

During 2008, the state tied for eighth place nationally with a public transit ridership growth of 6 percent, sharing that ranking with the much larger states of California, Michigan, Oklahoma and Illinois. North Carolina and Louisiana led the field with a 16 percent jump in ridership between 2007 and 2008; Maryland was next with a growth of 15 percent.

As for vehicle miles traveled, New Hampshire experienced a more moderate drop of 1 percent, down about 125 million miles to a total of 12.3 billion. Iowa led the nation in that category with a decrease of 8 percent.

“People are voting with their feet by driving less and taking more public transportation,” Jessica O’Hare of Environment New Hampshire said in a statement. “Congress should listen to these voters and invest more in public transportation, which will increase our energy independence and reduce global warming pollution.”

And therein lies the rub. At a time when public transportation was growing in popularity, most the nation’s transit systems were struggling for economic survival in the face of rising fuel and maintenance costs, and declining local, regional and state revenues.

More than 80 percent of the nation’s transit systems experienced flat or decreased funding from local, regional or state governments, according to a May 2009 survey by the American Public Transit Association. As a result, among those facing a decrease, 89 percent had to raise fares or cut service, while 47 percent found it necessary to do both.

Perhaps the most encouraging part of the report is that 2009 is shaping up as another good year for public transportation, even as national gasoline prices now hover around the $2.50 a gallon mark.

Based on ridership figures during the first six months of the year, Environment America projects an annualized increase of about 2.5 percent.

What needs to be done to continue the positive trend toward a greater reliance on public transportation?

For its part, Environment America calls for establishing a national standard for reducing the consumption of oil, boosting the investment in cleaner modes of public transportation such as high-speed rail, and putting public transit on par with road projects when it comes time to distribute federal transportation dollars.

That seems like a reasonable approach, even if gas prices don’t hit the $4 mark anytime soon.