Get Metro a fair share

Budget

Get Metro a fair share

by David Alpert • March 8, 2010 3:21 pm

A coalition of transit groups have just created FairShareMetro.com to ask local governments to increase their contributions to WMATA and share cost of transit with riders.

If local governments collectively contributed $73.7 million, we could balance the WMATA budget without painful service cuts such as no 8-car trains at rush hours, no Yellow Line on weekends, earlier closings, later openings, and truncated or eliminated bus routes.

Farfax County supervisors will be voting on maximum tax and fee rates tomorrow, and Alexandria is having a budget hearing on Wednesday. If you live in Fairfax or Alexandria, it's especially urgent to email your elected officials at FairShareMetro.com right away. But it's also critical to get lots of comments in to the DC Council, Maryland state officials (in Maryland, the state funds WMATA rather than the counties), and officials in Arlington, Falls Church, and Fairfax City.

The Riders' Advisory Council wrote in a letter they approved on Wednesday,

As we saw in the immediate aftermath of the recent snowstorm, our region depends on effective transit service. Without it, people cannot reach their jobs and our economy cannot function.

Transit benefits far more than just the individuals who ride it. Transit takes cars off the roadways to keep traffic congestion down. It enables more jobs in our employment centers than we could accommodate with just roads and parking. It connects many employees who do not or cannot drive to jobs that keep our region and its economy operating. It brings people to shopping centers, cultural destinations, medical appointments and more.
Under the proposed budget, transit riders are expected to shoulder most of the burden of WMATA's $189.2 million gap. The current proposed budget calls for nearly half of that ($89.2 million) to be covered with a massive fare increase, plus cuts to administration that will impact customer service, reliability, communications and more. However, all residents of our region—whether they ride Metro or not—should share in the responsibility to keep transit running as they all share in the benefit.
We realize that you are facing historic budget deficits yourselves and face painful cuts in many areas. However, the loss of important transit service outlined in the current proposed budget would further burden congested roadways and inhibit further job growth. Those costs cannot be ignored. Riders are willing to accept higher fares for their part, but are understandably unwilling to accept significantly higher fares coupled with reduced service. We ask you to share the responsibility by finding revenues or other room in the budget to maintain transit service.

Please go to FairShareMetro.com now and ask your representatives to support a fair share for Metro.

17 comments

Tags: WMATA, WMATA budget

Arlington opens door to higher WMATA contributions (Feb 22, 2010)
Washington Post endorses Fair Share for Metro (Mar 31, 2010)
Maryland, Fairfax, Alexandria take steps toward needed WMATA funding (Mar 11, 2010)
WMATA budget deep dive, part 5: Is the fare fair? (Feb 26, 2010)
Metro should release more budget-closing options (Dec 3, 2009)

David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.

Comments
Add a comment »

How about everyone else but my own district increase its contribution to Metro?

All of the socially conscious liberals are bypassing the free-rider principle :(

by MPC on Mar 8, 2010 5:17 pm • link • report

Given that Fairfax County is looking at a $200 million budget gap, where exactly will they get that money?

by charlie on Mar 8, 2010 5:21 pm • link • report

If we really want to demonstrate the value of Metro to everybody, even non-riders, then one day we all take a break from riding the buses and trains and we drive to work. We need to create gridlock, or at least something people notice above and beyond the usual gridlock. Just for a day.

All those drivers whose commutes are made manageable by other commuters using transit need to feel enough pain that *they* contact their elected representatives to demand a fully funded Metro system. Regular riders contacting our representatives is necessary and useful, but we need allies.

by Matt W on Mar 8, 2010 8:36 pm • link • report

DC's got a $400 million budget gap.

Chances of them ponying up additional cash to Metro?

About as good as seeing David cruising down the street in a Hummer while driving over ghost bikes and screaming about how the world needs more externalities.

It's just not realistic. And, frankly, after the devastating federal report on Metro, WMATA simply has no credibility on much of anything. Maybe after they fire a whole lot of people and take their jobs seriously they can then come back and ask for more money. Until then, they're going to have to suck it up just like every other governmental entity in the country.

by Fritz on Mar 8, 2010 9:32 pm • link • report

Inquired about the subject at tonight's Alexandria Transportation Commission meeting. City staff weren't committed either way, but it isn't looking good regardless, especially with the city facing a $44 million deficit of its own.

by Froggie on Mar 8, 2010 10:00 pm • link • report

Every government in the region has a deficit, and is furloughing or laying off people. In view of the damning report about Metro, I think asking for a "fair share" without any evidence of Metro getting its own house in order could backfire.

Put yourself in the shoes of a hypothetical mayor or county executive. If I am the leader of county X, I am directly accountable to my constituents. My budget is in the red and I had to lay off a few thousand people. I already lost a lot of votes when I laid off all those people, but said it was necessary to close the budget gap. Now, Metro is asking me for money. I recognize the need for Metro to be funded, but how will I look? I am effectively giving up a lot of money to an entity over which I have very little control, and which has a bad reputation. In fact, if I didnt give money, and there were more problems with Metro, I can easily blame Metro, especially since they have been getting a lot of bad press. Now people are complaining it isnt fair. What isnt fair are the county substance abuse centers I had to close, and those teachers I laid off.

by SJE on Mar 8, 2010 10:01 pm • link • report

In other words, Metro, as an entity, is not going to be viewed very sympathetically, unless and until it can get its own house in order.

by SJE on Mar 8, 2010 10:03 pm • link • report

Filled out and submitted to my Mt Vernon supervisor. Reminded him that I-95 was slow at 5h38am this morning and that my commute is 3h30 every single day.

by Jasper on Mar 8, 2010 10:35 pm • link • report

I support local funding, but the only fair approach would be for Virginia to include the franchise value of coffee kiosks in Virginia stations.

Since Metro had never been authorised to prohibit eating and drinking in Virginia, then Virginia taxpayer subsidy should take into account the value of these facilities and Virginians should not be asked to foot the bill to support the theory of an unauthorised Metro policy.

by unitacx on Mar 9, 2010 8:32 am • link • report

I think it's pretty clear that WMATA would have to dump that backward, criminal, and bloated union before anyone would begin to consider it an organization worthy of extra funding.

by james on Mar 9, 2010 9:47 am • link • report

@unitacx: That's an interesting theory. Metro's compact, approved by the Virginia Assembly, authorizes the authority to adopt "rules and regulations", which I assume would include the prohibition on food.

@james: I think we've been through this before, possibly with you, but what criminal acts are you accusing the union of and what evidence do you have? Backward and bloated, perhaps, but criminal is another level.

by Michael Perkins on Mar 9, 2010 10:12 am • link • report

Washington Post has a great article this morning on the Greek financial crisis, and how the Germans are getting tired of being guilted into paying for the rest of Europe. The article makes my point better than I could of how asking for a "fair share" could backfire.

by SJE on Mar 9, 2010 10:54 am • link • report

It has been evident for some time that transit budgets would be under extreme pressure during this budget cycle. It is essential that riders support the max fare increase proposals. Transit at least has the ability to raise revenues. Schools and public safety have much more limited abilities to do so. Some service cuts and staff reductions will be necessary. All should focus however on their local governmental budgets which have done little to reduce spending. I find the Fairfax Budget proposal to be a joke.

by interested on Mar 9, 2010 11:39 am • link • report

To interested.. schools do have the ability to raise money through fees. I attended public schools in Texas about 30 years ago and there was the school bus fee, the textbook fee, and extracurricular fees if you did after school activities .

To those who say why fund Metro when there are budget problems overall, well the local jurisidctions all agree they can't pay to maintain and expand the Metro system (particularily Metrorail). What better way to tell the federal government that Metro needs help but to show the commitment to public transit by choosing it OVER other vital public services. Over a decade ago the province of Toronto stopped providing support to public transit. This left the City of Toronto trying ot maintain the system. Subsequently the province has provided some funding but not nearly what was provided before the cuts. Well last year Ir read the city of Toronto spent close 90% of it's capital budget on the Toronto Transit Commission. Some critics were asking why the City needed to sacrifice state of good repair on community centers and firehouses just ot have a functional transit system. Well guess what if you want an effective transit system and build the case for higher level of governments to contribute then you need to make HARD choices.

by Transpo expert on Mar 9, 2010 4:14 pm • link • report

Michael posted:

@unitacx: That's an interesting theory. Metro's compact, approved by the Virginia Assembly, authorizes the authority to adopt "rules and regulations", which I assume would include the prohibition on food.

That would be Va. Code 56-529 and -530 (repealed). Even under the old code, it is questionable whether the authority would not extend to passengers, with the exception of specific authority granted by the Commonwealth to "domestic" common carriers -- fare collection and smoking.

Essentially, the Compact was treated as Metro's charter to exist, enter into contracts and condemn land.

More to the point, the authority to tell passengers where they can eat and drink stems from local ordinances, but the local ordinances were never enabled by the Commonwealth.

Michael posted:

@james: ... but what criminal acts are you accusing the union of...

The above Va. Code 56-529 and -530 may explain the reference to the union. The Virginia supreme court recognized the union as under Federal exemption but under the old law. Regardless of the law's repeal, there definitely are local unions in Virginia outside of Metro, and this would be an internal labor issue which does not affect passengers in any case. Also, Metro is an interstate railroad, which may or may not place it under the Federal laws protecting railroad workers' right to organise.

by unitacx on Mar 9, 2010 9:28 pm • link • report

These are back of the envelope figures.

FSM wants 74 million.

Based on the existing shares this is what it comes to:

DC: 28 million
MontCo: 12 million
PG: 15 million
Arlington: 5 million
Fairfax: 9 million

by charlie on Mar 10, 2010 8:43 am • link • report

@Matt W: That actually happened the Friday after the blizzards, at least it did on the I-66 corridor. Anyone who tried to get to work that day should be acutely aware of how important public transit is.

The Orange Line and its feeder buses weren't operating. The federal government decided to open late, just in time for HOV restrictions to lift. All the major roads were cleared of snow and quite drivable. So everyone drove and waited in horrendous traffic.

That's a pretty good example of how important Metro is. If Metro service gets crappier or more nonexistent, people will switch to driving, as they did that Friday.

by JM on Mar 10, 2010 8:46 pm • link • report