Seeing that nobody has posted about this yet, it looks like Twin Cities transit users are about to face a major crunch:
Transit fare hikes, service cuts on tap? Kevin Duchschere, Star Tribune March 12, 2005 TRANSIT0312 http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5287121.html What strikes me here is that this case is not unique. Last November I visited my hometown of Philadelphia and learned that their public transit system (SEPTA) was in a similar funding crisis. SEPTA is truly the type of multi-modal transportation system that our politicians talk about developing here. There are two trains in the city (the subway goes north-south, the elevated goes east-west), eight commuter rail lines stretch out to the suburbs and Jersey, trolley cars run through West Philly, a new light-rail line connects the end of the El to the near-western burbs, and there are enough busses in the city that you never have to walk more than a few blocks to catch one. The net effect is that Philadelphia is a place where it is not difficult to get around without a car. That's the upside. The downside is that SEPTA is expensive. Rides cost $2, plus $.60 per transfer. And I've heard (never confirmed) that it also gets more public money than any other system in the country. So when I was there in late-November, the news was just beginning to hit that SEPTA was facing a $62-million operating shortfall for it's fiscal year. In December, their board of directors approved a Contingency plan that would have raised fares 25%, cut weekday service by 20%, and eliminated weekend service altogether. It was a very drastic action that raised alarm throughout the region. At the end of December, Pennsylvania governor (and former Philly mayor) Ed Rendell delivered $13 million in emergency funding to delay the Contingency Plan. Then on February 28, Gov. Rendell announced a plan to transfer $42.7 million in federal highway funds to SEPTA. That transfer was approved yesterday, and the funding crisis has been averted for now. What is not clear is how long the fix will hold. SEPTA officials are lobbying hard for the legislature to designate a dedicated source of transit funding this June. Information from: http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/11096718.htm http://www.septa.org/news/contingency.html The purpose of all this has been to provide some background on what Minneapolis may be in for in the near-future. Researching SEPTA, I also found that Pittsburgh's transit system also recently went through a similar crisis. How many other transit systems around the country are in a crunch? How are they being dealt with? And what factors are likely to be similar to those we're facing here? Jason Samuels Whittier REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
