More than 30 members of Congress, including U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL), and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), introduced legislation on Thursday calling for equal funding for transit and highways.
Called the Transit Parity Resolution, the legislation would change how Congress determines to fund highways and public transportation. Currently, Congress uses a formula set in 1982 that allocates 80 percent of federal transportation dollars to highways, and the remaining 20 percent to public transit. The resolution calls for transit funding to be equal to highway funding.
“Public transit is a public good, and it’s past time our government treat it like one,” Pressley said. “For too long, our federal transportation investments have prioritized highways over public transit, incentivizing travel in private cars, which increases traffic congestion, produces pollution, and exacerbates racial and economic inequality.”
The resolution is supported by several transportation organizations across the country, including Transportation for America, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Environmental Law and Policy Center, Livable Streets Alliance, Disability Rights Education Foundation, Safe Routes Partnership, National Association of City Transportation Officials (NATCO), Riders Alliance, and The Wilderness Society.
“Today, we have an opportunity and an obligation to fundamentally realign our federal transportation policy to center community connectivity and emphasize equity, access, and sustainability,” Pressley continued. “As transportation agencies in my district and across the country face record budget shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we must act swiftly to make the investments in public transit our communities deserve by establishing real funding parity. This is about addressing the damage from this epidemic and committing to the future of our transit systems.”