Resources

The Case for Investment

The need to significantly increase the funding for improvements to and expansion of the State’s transportation system is at a critical point.  After years of being underfunded and depleted by the State’s use of funds for non-transportation purposes, the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) is insufficient to cover even basic maintenance and critical upgrades to existing transportation infrastructure let alone fund highway, bridge and mass transit projects that have been on the books for years.

Without identifying sources of revenue to replenish the TTF, Maryland’s transportation system cannot be adequately upgraded, expanded or improved upon.  And with transportation cited as one of two significant issues for employers looking to either expand in or relocate to the Baltimore/Washington region (workforce being the other issue), Central Maryland continues to lose ground to other peer metros with more robust transportation systems.

Any increase in revenue requires legislative action, action that was unsuccessful during the 2011 Maryland General Assembly when a number of bills were introduced to increase the gas tax and provide several hundred million dollars into the TTF. The continuing recession and the high price of gasoline made any suggestion of increasing the gas tax hugely unpopular, even though there had been no increase in the tax since 1993. While a gas tax will ultimately provide diminishing returns as we increase use of mass transit and modes of travel that will decrease our dependence on use of personal gas-consuming vehicles, a gas tax is a near-term solution that will provide significant revenue while other sources of revenue are explored.

The Transportation Alliance recognizes that for any effort to increase revenue for transportation purposes to be successful the general public (the voters) must understand the critical role that transportation plays in every component of their lives – employment, housing, education, healthcare and recreation.

Consequently, in order to elevate transportation issues as a critical component to economic growth and vitality for the region, the Transportation Alliance is researching the region’s investment in public transportation over the past 20 years as well other indicators such as employment, housing costs, per capita income, congestion levels and commuting times. These indicators are being compared to the same indicators in regions with a similar economic and demographic profile in order to illustrate the competitive disadvantage the Central Maryland region is facing due to the failure to invest in public transportation.

We are also assessing – and educating the public about - the connection between an efficient, affordable and reliable transit system and a strong and growing economy.