Mass Transit is Shrinking Despite its Success

Caption: Metro will be forced to reduce public transit service despite record ridership

Despite a broad coalition of supporters, including Trailnet, Proposition M failed to get the support of over 50% of voters in the St. Louis region during the November election. As a result, Metro will be forced to dramatically cut its public transit services in the St. Louis region--nearly 2,300 bus stops will be vacated as of the end of March!

The timing couldn't be worse. The economy is a slowly sinking ship, and the ripple effects of the Wall Street collapse have reached American Main Streets, with more and more working-class Americans losing their jobs every week. Millions of working class Americans depend on public transit to get to and from work. The impending transit cutbacks together with the sinking economy are creating a dire situation for the folks who serve as the foundation of the American economy.

A recent New York Times feature on transit focused on the paradox with St. Louis public transit: ridership is up significantly, yet service is about to be dramatically chopped. Check it out here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/04transit.html?_r=3&hp

The Greater St. Louis Transit Alliance has more information about St. Louis's transit needs, the failed Proposition M, and what the future holds for transit in the region:
http://moremetrolink.com/

In the blog post below, we highlighted the importance of investing in non-motorized transportation infrastructure as part of the federal stimulus package. Such an investment would both directly and indirectly bolster the American economy, creating infrastructure that supports long-term stability of the economy. Check out the post below to learn more and for a link to Transportation for America's website, which is chock-full of great information about our country's transportation needs.