‘Reductive Approach’: Eleanor Holmes Norton Decries Talks Exclusively About Public Transit Revenues

6 months ago

During a House Transportation Committee hearing last week, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) questioned witnesses about the role of public transit, looking beyond its revenue stream, public transit safety and modernization.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. Regan, your testimony notes that too often the discussion around public transit focus

00:11exclusively on costs and revenues. This is a reductive approach that fails to recognize

00:19transit's role as a public service. These same discussions often fail to mention the

00:26far larger subsidies given to highway projects. What is the role of transit as a public service

00:33and why it does not make sense to evaluate transit or other forms of transportation by

00:44how much of the revenue they generate?

00:49Thank you for the question. When I think of public transportation, I think the word public

00:53is so critical there. I think about the other areas where we use that word when we describe

00:56a service, whether it be public libraries, public parks, public schools, public roads,

01:02as you noted. All of that, when we say public, it means building the community. It means

01:06making sure that we are tying community together and providing resources for the citizens of

01:10that community. And public transit is an economic lifeblood of cities large and small all around

01:15this country. And we should not be looking at it in terms of dollars and cents. We should

01:19be looking at the value add it brings to communities all throughout our country.

01:26Ms. Maynard, your testimony highlights how safe it is to travel by public transportation.

01:35In fact, traveling by public transportation is ten times safer than traveling by car.

01:44Even though transit agencies are already very safe, what actions are the Regional Transportation

01:51Commission of Southern Nevada and other American public transportation association members

01:58taking to further ensure a safe travel experience?

02:03Thank you for that question. And again, as I previously mentioned, it really is a partnership

02:09that public transit agencies need to ensure that they are working closely with the communities

02:14in which they serve for those social services, that connection, law enforcement, the security

02:20and transit agencies themselves that have their own security firms. And I think it's

02:25important, too, that certainly in Southern Nevada, we have one of the deadliest head

02:32pedestrian vehicle deaths rates in the United States. Public transit is safer, and it's

02:38ensuring that we are providing services that can help reduce some of the congestion. As

02:44an example, now that we are not only the entertainment capital of the world, but also now the sports

02:50capital of the world, we provide something called Game Day Express. And we are allowing

02:55folks that would normally drive into the Elite Stadium off of Las Vegas Boulevard. By doing

03:00that, we're keeping about 2,000 cars off the strip in that area. That certainly, that less

03:07congestion improves safety. So it's really a multi-pronged approach in terms of ensuring

03:14that roadways are safe by having folks travel in public transit, but also looking at ways

03:19to ensure that the traveling public and the operators and the employees are safe.

03:24Another question for you, Ms. Maynard. Your testimony also addresses ongoing efforts across

03:31the United States by public transit agencies to regain riders after the pandemic. In the

03:39District of Columbia, which I represent, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

03:45is undergoing a bus network redesign to update its legacy bus routes and better serve the

03:55current needs of riders. Why is it important for transit agencies to conduct community

04:03outreach and modernize service levels and routes to attract and retain riders?

04:16We are in the people business. We are connecting people and providing places where they need

04:21to go. It's very important that we understand those travel patterns. I think your CEO, Rennie

04:25Clark, has done a tremendous job here in Washington understanding that the commute travel patterns

04:30have changed, and it's about reallocating those resources. And so if you previously,

04:36pre-pandemic, had a heavy commute pattern, less trips on the weekend, that's how your

04:43teams will schedule those transit trips. When you see those travel patterns changing, you

04:48adjust accordingly. It's something they've done here very well in Washington, and other

04:52transit systems are doing the exact same thing as it relates to, particularly, the commuter

04:55rail pattern or commuter passenger travel.

05:00Thank you very much, Ms. Maynard, and I yield back.

05:02The gentleman yields. Mr. LaMalfa.

05:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Scribner.

‘Reductive Approach’: Eleanor Holmes Norton Decries Talks Exclusively About Public Transit Revenues

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