Metro
So, we have this dire forecast:
Metro needs more than $11 billion over 10 years to maintain, expand and improve train, bus and paratransit service, General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said today. More than $7 billion of that is needed just to keep the region’s largest transit agency running in a safe and reliable manner.
And yes, it is pretty worrisome, given the critical importance of Metro to this metropolitan area. But look, Metro is critically important to this metropolitan area, so it’s worth the spending of some of our money. And if you think about it, the amount required here isn’t that daunting. Some 3.8 million people live in jurisdictions served by Metro. Do the math and that comes out to about $300 per person per year. If you use the entire metropolitan area, which includes people who use the system but don’t live in a county that contributes to Metro, then we’re only talking about $250 per person per year.
In fact, it’s not even as bad as that. You can use measures like congestion pricing and market parking pricing to generate revenues in ways that are themselves efficiency improving. And of course, Metro is facilitating infill development that allows the city to accommodate more people and more businesses–taxpaying entities which can help share the cost of local infrastructure. And it’s also entirely reasonable to expect the federal government to contribute to Metro maintenance and expansion as a piece of critical national infrastructure.
So look, this is not only doable, it’s very manageable. Easy even. All it requires is proper prioritization and political will.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Factor in the tourist usage and that number goes way down.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:38 pm
It’s nearly exactly 6 years since Metro’s $12.2B Capital Improvement Plan was released, only a small bit of which got funded.
i wonder how much of this is asking for the same things that were asked for back then, and how accurate the projections of the state of the system have turned out to be.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I guess Metro has no ability to release bonds? Not that bonds are perfect, but all those big capital improvement — mostly seismic retrofitting and signal, train and track upgrades — that BART has been able to do have been from bonds. They also get a portion of sales tax revenue, of course. Which we don’t, but that’s a fools game anyway as it’s so economically cyclical. Odd, oddly enough, benefits from car sales probably more than anything — this is why Bay Area cities fight over car dealerships. Huge source of revenue. BART also has automatic fare increases. Thats a huge money maker and keeps all the guess work — and the gnashing of teeth — out of the whole fare increase process.
I wonder how well we do with tourists. There is this expectation that tourists dominate our city, but I’ve never seen the kind of tourist numbers broken out like I have for NY and SF. Billions from sales and hotel room and meal taxes — in SF a huge chunk of which goes to support the arts.
Does anyone release around here release an annual report on tourism? What the numbers are like? How they compare to the previous year? How much revenue? Where they are coming from? What transportation they use?
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
“All it requires is proper prioritization and political will.”
^Good thing those things always seem to be in abundance when it comes to transit.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 am
Some 3.8 million people live in jurisdictions served by Metro. Do the math and that comes out to about $300 per person per year.
I’d love to help out, really I would, but for my family that’s about $1200. And since it looks like our family’s gonna have to pony up somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000 to rescue a whole bunch of desperate, needy Wall Street entities, on top of the $10,000 to $20,000 we’re already ponying up for the amount Iraq liberation that’s already happened… gosh I just don’t think we can swing it. Sorry about that.
I hear REI’s got a real nice selection of walking sticks though.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
We’re paying at least that much (if not more) to maintain the regional highway system too, but it’s not being reported because unlike Metro (which has to beg for funds), the highway money is folded into automatic grants for VDOT and MDOT.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
That’s why the whole world would be better if we just go along with the Bush Admin. DOT and gut transit funding and give it to highways. In fact, the crisis is so dire that we need to hand over dictatorial powers to the Administration so we don’t get killed in our beds or something. I mean that was the case for Iraq and we now see how well that worked out. That’s the case for the financial sector, or at least that’s what the Administration is trying to peddle on the Hill. Why would transportation be any different?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
On top of the points that you mentioned, which I agree with, we can say also that Metro’s travel benefits and congestion reduction benefits far outweigh its costs:
Transit in Washington, D.C.: Current Benefits and Optimal Level of Provision