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Jun
27
Transit for Liveable Communities Alert: Fare increase proposed for riders!
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Did you know that Metro Transit is proposing a 25-cent fare increase for riders in 2008? And up to another 50 cents in 2009?
With gas prices reaching $4/gallon, a slowing economy, and increased ridership, we believe the Metropolitan Council needs to hear from riders around the region about the real transportation needs of our communities. Please join Transit for Livable Communities and our Transit Partners coalition in responding to the proposal with a clear message:We need a bigger system, not bigger fares!
Background
With a shortfall of $15 million this year, it’s understandable that the Metropolitan Council (the agency overseeing Metro Transit) is looking to fill the gap. The primary funding source for our bus system is the sales tax on cars, and since car sales are down, funding for buses is also going down. But scraping together funding for a bus system just when people are looking for more transit choices is absurd! The bottom line is, Minnesota needs to invest in affordable, convenient transit. Period. And that’s what we need to tell the Met Council at the public hearings on July 7-15.
We have alternatives to raising fares
There’s no question that building a better system will require additional resources. But there are choices beyond raising fares for riders:
1. The Metropolitan Council can use half of its reserve fund to hold off a fare increase. This would buy time for the 2009 legislature to decide whether fare increases or service cuts are appropriate or needed.
2. Options available to the state legislature include: shifting more revenues from the motor vehicle sales tax to transit; increasing the regional sales tax to cover the gap; instituting new fees for off-street parking; returning to the property tax to fund transit operations.
What you can do:
1. Attend a public hearing! Hearings will be held around the metro area July 7th-15th in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Maplewood, Blaine, and Hopkins. Dates and times are listed below; go to TLC’s website for more information.
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May
23
Transit for Liveable Communities: Public Hearings on Central Corridor
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Come be heard! Public hearings on Central Corridor preliminary design plans will be held in May and June.
Imagine, now, what it will look like not just to be riding a train on the Central Corridor light rail line, but what the surrounding space will look and feel like.
Can you easily hop on or off the train?
How does it feel to walk along University Avenue? Through the University of Minnesota?
What is the space like? Are there trees? Wide or narrow sidewalks? Benches?
What is University Avenue like if you’re a bicyclist?
If you drive to University Avenue, where might you park? On a side street? In a parking lot shared by multiple businesses?
What about the downtown locations? Are the stations accessible and welcoming?
What does new artwork say about our cities? About the neighborhoods?
Starting May 29th, a series of five hearings will be held on the preliminary design plans for the Central Corridor light rail line . These hearings are part of the municipal consent process. The four local governments (cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Ramsey and Hennepin counties) must provide “municipal consent” for Central Corridor light rail design plans. Each is required to examine the preliminary design plans, take community comment, and pass a formal motion of consent (these votes will likely happen in early July). The motion may also include recommended changes to the preliminary plans; these would then be incorporated into final design plans that will be voted on by the Metropolitan Council in August.
Here’s what we want you to know: