You wonder why our web site has a red background instead of the usual white background today.
It’s because we are showing support as part of a nationwide effort to preserve public transit funding in Congress today. Details are below.
Even with President Obama’s signature of the 8th extension of the Federal transportation bill since September 2009, Congress has proposed to cut more than 33% of federal funding for public transportation and surface transportation programs in the long-term Federal transportation bill. According to the advocacy group Transportation 4 America, it has been over 720 days since the previous transportation bill expired.
If implemented into law, as a VTA bus, light rail, Caltain, ACE, SamTrans, or Highway 17 Express bus rider, you will see the law as another set of fare hikes, service cuts, and additional time spent on your transit commute. It is left to you to figure out how much additional gridlock will occur on roads in Silicon Valley as a result of the (additional) reduction of public transit service. This just as VTA announced that over 134,000 total riders took the buses and light rail in June at their August 4 Board of Directors meeting.
WHAT CAN I DO TO PRESERVE PUBLIC TRANSIT FUNDING IN CONGRESS?
Let our representatives in Congress – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, as well as our local members of Congress like Anna Eschoo and Zoe Lofgren – know how vital public transit funding in Congress is. Especially if you live in Santa Clara County, use this form to find out who represents YOU in Congress. Transportation funding in Congress won’t be a priority when they don’t hear from their true managers – us.