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Top Ten Reasons Why Congress Must Pass Long-Term, Well-Funded Surface
Transportation Legislation
Contact: Virginia Miller
(202) 496-4816
vmiller@apta.com
AMERICA NEEDS MORE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
(Download document in Adobe
PDF format)
- Three out of four Americans do not have access to satisfactory public
transportation services.
- An efficient transportation system is essential to ensure the nation's
economic productivity and safety.
- Since 1995, ridership has increased by 21 percent-faster than vehicle
miles traveled on our roadways and airline passenger miles logged over
the same period of time.
- If one in ten Americans used public transportation regularly, U.S.
reliance on foreign oil could be reduced by more than 40 percent-nearly
the amount of oil we import from Saudi Arabia each year.
- In 2001, each American traveling during peak periods wasted on average
60 hours a year-nearly eight full working days-in traffic congestion.
- In 2001, congestion cost America nearly $70 billion in wasted time
and fuel. Without public transportation services, congestion would have
increased by 30 percent.
- American communities nationwide are reaping enormous economic benefits
from affordable, modern public transportation through increased property
value and more tax revenue.
- Every $1 invested in public transportation infrastructure provides
up to $6 in economic return.
- Americans need to go back to work! Every $1 billion invested in
public transportation infrastructure creates and sustains 47,500 jobs.
- "This is a major piece of legislation which will not only
secure America's infrastructure but also create jobs," said Senate
Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee.
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APTA is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 member organizations including public transportation systems; planning, design, construction and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; and state associations and departments of transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical public transportation services and products. APTA members serve more than 90 percent of persons using public transportation in the United States and Canada.
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