Category: Legislation

Maryland’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding, appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley, approved a package of recommendations this week, calling for $870 million in new transportation investment to fix crumbling roads and address the nation’s worst congestion.  The Commission is recommending a constitutional amendment to protect the Transportation Trust Fund from future diversions of funds to non-transportation purposes — a welcome change from our standpoint.  New revenues, including a 15-cent increase in the Maryland gas tax, phased in over three years, increased vehicle registration fees and transit fare hikes are also recommended.  Read more on the Blue Ribbon Commission website.  

Current Costs of Congestion and Deteriorating Facilities FAR OUTWEIGH the Costs of Any Increase in the Gas Tax.  Currently, each Maryland resident is paying almost $1,500 a year in wasted fuel and extra maintenance as a result of crumbling and overcrowded roads, bridges and transit facilities.  In contrast, each 5-cent increase in the gas tax will only cost the average family about $25 per year, well worth the savings in time and money.

Sign SMTA’s “Invest Now” Petition to Show Your Support for Traffic Relief NOW!

Are you tired of wasting an average of 74 hours a year stuck in traffic?  Want to see Maryland’s economy get back on track and create thousands of jobs?  Then YOU NEED TO SIGN OUR ON-LINE PETITION.  It takes less than a minute. Forward this message to others in your network and ask them to do the same.  It’s time to “Invest Now!”  

Maryland’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding, appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to come up with recommendations to address Maryland’s transportation funding crisis, is close to wrapping up its work.  Its recommendations will be finalized at their October 25th meeting, then conveyed to the Governor and state legislators.  According to the preliminary draft presented to the Commission this week, a package of some $870 million in new transportation investment is being recommended.  This is welcome news! 

Key elements of the package appear to be:  Protecting the Transportation Trust Fund from further “raids” for non-transportation purposes; a 15-cent increase in the Maryland gas tax (phased in over three years in 5-cent increments); and other increased vehicle fees and transit fares.  Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, along with the County Executives from Montgomery, Prince George’s and Howard Counties and the Mayor of Baltimore, have all publicly expressed support for increased transportation funds to pay for needed safety and congestion-relief improvements.  Currently, each Maryland resident is paying almost $1,500 a year in wasted fuel and extra maintenance as a result of crumbling and overcrowded roads, bridges and transit facilities.  In contrast, each 5-cent increase in the gas tax will only cost the average family about $25 per year, well worth the savings in time and money.

Ramping up Maryland’s decimated transportation capital program would also put thousands of local engineering and construction workers back on the job (and back in Maryland stores and restaurants), providing a major boost to our sagging economy.  SMTA strongly supports the kinds of proposals the Commission seems ready to recommend, and calls upon the Maryland General Assembly to enact new dedicated transportation funds and restore the “trust” in the Transportation Trust Fund in this next session of the legislature, which starts in January.  

Read more on the Blue Ribbon Commission website. 

  

The latest rankings by the Texas Transportation Institute place the Washington DC region at the top of the list, among all major metropolitan areas in the United States, in average travel delays.  Last year, we were tied with Chicago for first place, with an average of 70 hours wasted by each of us from sitting in traffic delays.  This year, the amount of time we waste in traffic has grown to a whopping 74 hours a year, nearly two full work weeks.

When you add up all the lost productivity, tons of wasted fuel, and other costs, each of us is wasting more than $1,400 per year, simply due to congestion.   Just for comparision, each of us would pay about $50 extra per year from a 10-cent increase in the gas tax, which could be used to fund a long list of projects that we know will cut travel times and congestion costs as much as 25%.  I would rather spend $50 to save $350, not to mention all that lost time. 

It is hard to see why state and local leaders are not making transportation investments a more urgent priority.  Voters in our region continue to rank traffic congestion as their number-one priority, yet elected officials continue to ignore transportation almost entirely. 

This has to change.  The Maryland legislature needs to act and it needs to act this year.  At least $800 million per year in new transportation funding has been recommended by the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission, along with new protections against diverting scarce transportation dollars for other uses.

We know exactly what we need to do to reduce congestion in our region.  It starts with building the new transit and road capacity we need to reduce delays and get people back to work.  All that’s missing is the political will among our elected representatives to make this a priority.  Maryland will not be able to sustain any level of economic recovery unless we take on this issue and invest in our infrastructure now.

This week, House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) presented his outline for the new transportation bill that sets transportation policies for both highway and transit funding for the next six years.

From early reports, the new transportation funding bill will not contain sufficient funding to meet the needs that have been identified, especially in the nation’s heavily congested urban corridors (including the Nation’s Capital).  This could mean a critical loss of funding for key projects in our region, including the Purple Line and CCT, as reported in Robert McCartney’s column in today’s Washington Post. 

On the positive side, it eliminates Congressional earmarks, streamlines decision-making, and realigns priorities so that more transportation revenues from the federal gas tax and other sources will be put to work on the most effective transportation projects, without the kind of politically-inspired diversions to non-transportation purposes we’ve seen in the past. 

The big question is, what will the Senate bill look like, and will it restore sufficient funding to keep key local projects on track?  Transportation infrastructure investment in our nation and the DC region is at a historic low-point, just when our economy needs stimulus and job creation the most. 

This is the first time in our history, when faced with a severe economic recession or depression, that we haven’t  launched a major public works and infrastructure improvement program to help get us out of it.  Last year’s stimulus package contained only a pittance, most of which did not go to transportation capacity improvements.  Why not?  That’s a question only our elected representatives can answer.  Investing in infrastructure has worked every time in the past to provide long-term growth and economic recovery. 

This time, we all know the need is there, but our political leaders in both parties have gone AWOL.

Maryland State Senator Robert Garagiola, the chief sponsor of key transportation funding bills during the 2011 General Assembly Session, addressed the SMTA Board this week and reported back on the progress that was made this year in Annapolis, calling the overall result “a few steps forward and a few steps back.” 

Garagiola is also a member of Governor Martin O’Malley’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding, and discussed with the SMTA Board the status and future direction of the Task Force.  Sen. Garagiola was instrumental in leading what proved to be an unsuccessful fight for increased transportation revenues in Annapolis this year.  His efforts were made that much harder by external events, such as the instability in the Middle East and resulting short-term spike in fuel prices.    Discussions are now underway to raise the issue of Maryland’s ongoing transportation funding crisis during the upcoming special session on redistricting, and Senator Garagiola indicated he would continue to press for solutions.

The Maryland General Assembly just concluded its 2011 session with more disappointing results.  Despite a strongly worded plea from the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding, urging them to provide $800 million more in dedicated transportation funds, the General Assembly took a big step in the WRONG direction, cutting the already depleted Transportation Trust Fund by another $41 million this year.

This short-sighted action means many more months of continued high unemployment in Maryland’s bleaguered construction industry, more potholes, worsening gridlock, and no hope of moving to construction in the near term on any major transit or road improvements in our area.  Current funding levels do not support construction of the Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway, or even the minimum requirements to keep up with failing bridge and road repairs across the State. 

Once again, Maryland legislators have put Transportation at the bottom of their priority list, and we are all paying the price.   Please join our mailing list and sign our petition asking Maryland officials to “Invest Now” and address Maryland’s severe transportation funding crisis during the upcoming special session on redistricting.   We cannot wait another year. 

Thank you.

Task Force Issues Call to “Restore Trust” in Transportation Trust Fund

This week Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding issued a strongly worded report to the Maryland General Assembly, highlighting the urgent need for additional funds.  View the full report here. 

Included in the Appendices are several interesting charts and data tables, including one listing the nearly $1 billion that has been diverted from the Transportation Trust Fund and not paid back (mainly from the localities’ Highway User Fund accounts), and a menu of options for legislators to consider in coming up with the $800 million that is needed.

The Task Force is also asking legislators to maintain the current portions of both the sales tax and corporate income tax that are currently dedicated to the Transportation Trust Fund.