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Message from the Chair - June 2004

Region needs a strong transit system

Just as it did in 1995, the recent bus strike has raised questions about whether the Twin Cities really needs a mass transit system. "If transit is so essential, where was the gridlock?" critics wanted to know.

Admittedly, transit carries only a small fraction of the total daily trips in the metro area. However, transit plays a significant role in some of our most congested transportation corridors. Every morning, almost 40 percent of the people employed in downtown Minneapolis take the bus to work. In St. Paul, the figure is almost 20 percent.

During the 44-day strike, many of these commuters were able to arrange for carpools, work from home or adjust their work hours to avoid rush-hour traffic, helping to ease congestion. Nonetheless, if the strike persisted, traffic problems could have grown much worse.

It's also important to remember that about one-third of Metro Transit's 75,000 daily riders do not own or cannot operate a car. They include low-income people who rely on the bus to travel to work, elderly and low-income people who need transit to keep medical appointments, and students who travel by bus to school.

The average car owner spends about $9,000 a year on auto-related expenses, or about $25 a day. In comparison, the annual cost for Metro Transit's Supersaver adult bus pass is just $792.

Transit has other benefits that may not be readily apparent. It reduces pollution and reduces energy consumption, stimulates economic development and helps create jobs. Today, more and more businesses are choosing locations that are served by mass transit.

As we look to the future, transit is an essential element of the Met Council's plan to help accommodate the nearly 1 million new residents expected by 2030 and maintain our region's quality of life.

Our goal — to double transit ridership. This will require expanding the existing system of regular-route and express bus service, adding more bus-only lanes on highway shoulders and park-and-ride lots, supporting more local circulator bus service and continuing the effort to develop a network of transitways in heavily traveled corridors.

This network could include a range of possibilities — light rail, commuter rail and exclusive busways — with mode selections based on a thorough cost-benefit analysis.

There are no silver bullets that will eliminate congestion. But transit is an essential component of our transportation arsenal. It also serves a vital role for transit-dependent individuals who have no other transportation options.

Peter Bell

June 2004