Citizens for Regional Transit Annual Meeting 18 January 2017 By Doug Funke President, Citizens for Regional Transit CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Topics • Selected Highlights from the Road Show – The past, the dream, the reality – Transportation and the environment – The cost of sprawl – Economics of transit (to eat or drive?) • Progress to Date and During 2016 – Petition results (ongoing) – Accomplishments and objectives • Making Buffalo Niagara transportation great again! CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
What We Had and Lost CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
But We Had a Different Dream in the 1950s and 1960s CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
But that Dream Has Become a Nightmare Polar Ice Cap Melting Greenland Glacier Melt, 2016 Muir Glacier, Alaska, NASA Climate 365 CO2 Levels Increasing CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
But that Dream Has Become a Nightmare (cont.’) Key HarborPlace (with parking) 00 Parking ramp Surface parking 6 Courtesy of Mark Paradowski from the Preservation-Ready Sites CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
The Environment: To Drive or Take Transit? Choose Transit: Added CO 2 emissions is NEGLIGABLE to BICYCLE transit vehicle already in service But AVOIDS pollution from driving … = 0.96 pounds of If 1 person takes transit instead of driving (alone) CO 2 PPM* avoided = 2.88 pounds of If 3 people choose transit 0 instead of driving (alone) CO 2 PPM avoided * PPM = per passenger mile CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
The Math Is Simple 600 1 train (Four cars) 12 buses Anywhere from 150 to 600 cars (270 shown here) 3.4 acres Adapted from: Transport Sydney Trains (http://www.sydneytrains.info/about/environment/) CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT 8
Sprawl = Added Taxpayer Expenses FY ‘18 Operating Expenses = $197,347,847 13% total NFTA budget spent just to maintain lanes built since 1990 CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Location and Transportation Efficient Budget Impacts 0 car households Car-dependent Exurbs http://www.cnt.org/repository/HT2010-Fact-Sheet-National.pdf Source: USDOT, Federal Highway Administration http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/livability/fact_sheets/transandhousing.pdf CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Transportation Takes a Bigger Bite Out of Budgets of the Working Poor Median Percent of Personal Income Spent on Commuting by Income Group and Mode, 1999 http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/special_reports_and_issue_briefs/issue_briefs/nu mber_01/html/median_percent_of_personal_income_spent_on_commuting_by_income_group_1999.html CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
And We’re Leaving the Poorest Among Us High and Dry • 30% Buffalo households don’t own a car For those riding transit: Source: GBNRTC Survey, 2012 CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT 12
And We’re Leaving the Poorest Among Us High and Dry (cont.’) • Bus rider household incomes • 86% < $35,000 • 14% > $35,000 • Light rail household incomes • 71% < $35,000 • 29% > $35,000 Source: GBNRTC Survey, 2012 CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Transit Oriented Development = Economic Growth Example: Tempe, AZ • Tempe, AZ – Positively transformed neighborhoods – Provided $4B boost to the economy – Trolley circulator under consideration based on LRT success “I’m a Republican, and I didn’t vote for Proposition 400. The light rail was a very expensive form of transportation. But the fact that it cleared up a blighted area and brought immense economic development is something that made me very interested… The light rail exceeded what it set out to do. There is value in these systems beyond just transporting people.” - Onnie Shekerjan, Tempe Councilwoman and Committee on Technology Chairperson Tempe feeling many positive, unexpected benefits from light rail. http://www.mnn.com/green- tech/transportation/stories/tempe-feeling-many-positive-unexpected-benefits-from-light-rail CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Why is Public Transit Important? Reclaim Our City Key Economic Development 00 HarborPlace The Environment Parking ramp Surface parking Courtesy of Mark Paradowski from the Preservation-Ready Sites Fairness, Economic Justice CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
But Cities Across America Are Rediscovering Public Transit Detroit! Tempe, AZ Cleveland, OH San Diego, CA Salt Lake City, UT Minneapolis St. Paul. MN And… Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Galveston , Houston, Kansas City, Kenosha, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Newark, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle, San Francisco, Tacoma, Tampa, Tucson, Washington DC, … CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Cities Going Car Free • Oslo, Norway – city center car free by 2019 • Madrid, Spain – ban cars on 500 acres of city center by 2020 • Chendu, China – only half of roads will allow cars by 2020 • Hamburg, Germany – creating green network of connected walkable spaces (network will cover 40% Hamburg by 2035) • Copenhagen, Denmark – building superhighway for bikes by 2918 (many already opened). Pledges to be carbon neutral by 2015. • Paris, France – Limits cars in city on selected days based on license plate number. Will allow only electric cars by 2020 • London, England – Charges daily fee ($12.50) for use of diesel engines. Will ban diesel cars by 2020 • Brussels, Belgium – Streets near city square have always been car free. Seeking ways to expand. Will have car free day in September. • Mexico City – Bans cars in city by rotating license plate number. • New York City – Designating car free areas (e.g., Times Square, Herald Square, Madison Square Park now car free) http://www.businessinsider.com/cities-going-car-free-2016-8/#oslo-norway- will-implement-its-car-ban-by-2019-1 CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Buffalo-Niagara Citizens Are Demanding Better Transit GBNRTC One Region Forward Results: CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT 18
What Our Leaders Are Saying ESD Chairman “ At the end of the day, we will only succeed in creating more opportunity through connecting people with transit , through connecting people by Howard Zemsky putting the jobs where they are accessible and by not continuing to spread and sprawl them out all over" Mayor “It means jobs will be created as we build our rail line to Amherst. It also means city residents will be able to get to jobs in our largest suburb " Byron Brown County Executive Cuomo’s support for more miles of Metro Rail is “huge”. ”How many years have we seen pushback on that? We don’t see that anymore.” Marc Polencarz The extension to Amherst will address the “transportation night mere commuters face on a daily basis .” Governor “ We will support the extension of the light rail , providinga direct connection for tens of thousands of jobs.” Andrew Cuomo CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Topics • Selected Highlights from the Road Show – The past, the dream, the reality – Transportation and the environment – The cost of sprawl – Economics of transit (to eat or drive?) • Progress to Date and During 2016 – Petition results (ongoing) – Accomplishments and objectives • Making Buffalo Niagara transportation great again! CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Our Work… Public Education Legislative Advocacy Operational Monitoring • Newsletter • Meet with legislators • Website, Facebook, Twitter • Support proposed • NFTA Board • CRT public meetings • Buffalo Place legislation • GBNRTC • Letters to the editor • NRGC • Position papers • NRGC • Doug’s road show • NY Transit Day • Table at shows Serve on Research Partnerships Committees Advocacy Building • NFTA CAC • Transit trends (e.g., TOD) • PPG • Petitions • NFTA Project Committees • Investments in other cities • WNYEA - Individuals • Technical and financial (Amherst study, DL&W • VOICE Buffalo - Organizations extension • CEJ issues - Mayors & Councils • GBNRTC 1RF • Attend conferences • NYPTA • Attend public meetings • NRGC Transportation and hearings Committee • Mayor’s Train Station Siting Committee CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Petition for a Transit Revolution 1. Establish long-term sustainable transit funding 2. Extend Metro Rail along highest demand corridors 3. Replace Exchange Street and Depew stations with multimodal center Interfaith Peace Network of WNY CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT
Buffalo-Niagara Needs a Transit Revolution 1. Extend Metro Rail along highest-demand corridors 2. Replace Exchange St. and Depew Stations with 21 st century multimodal transportation centers 3. Establish long-term sustainable transit funding City of North Tonawanda City of Niagara Falls - Mayor Arthur Pappas - Mayor Paul Dyster - NF City Council Town of Cheektowaga - Town Council City of Tonawanda - Mayor Rick Davis Town of Lancaster - Town Board City of Buffalo - The Buffalo Common Council Buffalo Common Council Village of East Aurora - Mayor Alan Kasprzak Village of Hamburg - Village Council Village of Orchard Park Orchard Park - Mayor Jo Ann Litwin Clinton Village of CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT Orchard Park
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