Increasing funding for public transportation reduces traffic congestion and global warming pollution. photo © flickr.com/generated

Gas prices of the summer of 2008 seem like a distant memory now, but analysts expect our current low prices to be fleeting. As gas prices rise again, Coloradans will again be looking for alternatives to being forced to drive everywhere they have to go.

The methods of travel and the vehicles people choose to drive have a profound impact on the environment and the quality of life we all enjoy. Transportation options such as light rail, commuter rail, buses, walking, and bicycling minimize environmental impacts, reduce congestion, lessen fossil fuel use, and improve people’s health and everyday lives. They can also save you a lot of money!

Coloradans need a 21st-century statewide multimodal transportation vision that includes creation and expansion of public transit systems, increased bike and pedestrian access and safety, regional connectivity, and a "fix-it-first" approach to roadway funding (new money should be spent to fix our existing highways and bridges and protect public safety before going to build new highways). Increased focus on and funding for public transit, pedestrian and bike access, and the use of alternative fuel vehicles is needed to help the state move forward in solving our transportation challenges and saving Coloradans money.

CEC is working on effecting changes in Colorado's transportation policy that take this vision into account. In the 2009 legislative session, we helped pass legislation that raises approximately $250 million per year to "fix it first", by fixing Colorado's crumbling roads and bridges. This same legislation dedicates $10 million per year to addressing safety problems for transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians and $5 million per year for transit projects. While this may not sound like a lot of money, it is the first time state money has ever been dedicate on a yearly basis for transit projects and transit, bicycle and pedestrian safety. Typically, money to fund transit projects and transit, bicycle and pedestrian safety comes from federal grants and local sales tax revenue. So this is a big step for Colorado. Another bill we helped pass creates for the first time a Division of Rail and Transit within the Colorado Department of Transportaion (CDOT). This new Division has the reponsibility of devising a statewide rail and transit plan for Colorado, which is another milestone. 

While these bills were important vitories, Colorado still needs a lot more funding for transportation, including lots of improvements to its public transportation system. The Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel, appointed in 2007, found that Colorado needs an additional $1.5 billion per year in order to maintain our current transportation system (fix crumbling bridges and roadways), as well as to build a sustainable, 21st century transportation system for Colorado. The Panel's recommendation was that nearly 1/3 of that money be spent to build and expand transit, bike and pedestrian systems throughout the state, to expand transportation choices for all Coloradans and to reduce our dependance on foreign oil and decrease our glodal warming and air pollution. Clearly $250 million is only part of the recommended $1.5 billion per year, and $15 million per year for transit-related issues is not the one-third recommended (it would be more like $500 million.) CEC will continue to work towards a safer, more multimodal transportation system in Colorado that provides transporation choice to its citizens and protects our natural environment.