Overview Benefit/Cost Transit Slides

Presentation Agenda What we are going to cover today    Why this project is important  Project benefits and costs

Development – Sprawl – Traffic – Roads An Important Local Issue In America  “What do you think is the most important problem facing the community where you live?” 18% Development, sprawl, traffic,roads 18% Crime and violence 13% Economic issues 10% Education 6% Child/teen issues 6% Child/teen issues Source: Pew Center for Civic Journalism

“Rush Hour” Has Doubled in 20 Years  Congested travel now consumes nearly ½ of daylight hours  Rush hour has grown from 2 hours per day to nearly 6 hours  The average rush hour trip takes 32% longer than non-rush hour trips Source: Texas Transportation Institute 2001

Congestion Is Growing In All Areas  Congestion is growing in areas of every size  Average annual delay grew 3 fold since 1982 from 11 hours per person to 36 hours in 1999  Cost of congestion in 1999 was $78 billion Texas Transportation Institute 2001 Source: Texas Transportation Institute 2001

American Gridlock “Since 1982, while the U.S. population has grown nearly 20%, the time Americans spend in traffic has jumped an amazing 236%.” “Since 1982, while the U.S. population has grown nearly 20%, the time Americans spend in traffic has jumped an amazing 236%.” US NEWS 05/28/2001 Source: US NEWS 05/28/2001

Congestion Is A Problem in Congestion Is A Problem in  We average __ hours of delay per person  The annual cost for this congestion is $___ NOTES TO USER: Refer to - go to the city / mobility table / page 3 has: Annual delay per capita; Annual Congestion cost) Refer to - go to the city / mobility table / page 3 has: Annual delay per capita; Annual Congestion cost). Delete this box to maintain slide formatting.

Transit Is An Effective Way to Fight Congestion  Most people do not think road building is an effective way to fight congestion  75% see other strategies as more effective Source: Belden, Russonello & Stewart, Sept 2000

Attitudes About Transportation Are Changing  Question: Would you have your state government use more of its transportation budget for improvements in public transportation, such as trains, buses and light rail, even if this means less money to build new highways”? Source: Belden, Russonello & Stewart, Sept 2000

Public Transit Use Is Booming  Over the last five years, transit ridership has grown by 21%  Since 1995, transit trips have grown faster than population (4.5 %), highway use (11.4%), and domestic air travel (19%) Source: APTA 2001, Annual Growth in Driving and Transit Use