Why doesn't a Dem in congress propose a huge public transportation bill?

At a time like this with gas prices and everything going up as a result, how could the Repubs come out against a public transportation bill?

Its now over $4 a gallon, and its an election year.

If its ever going to get passed, this is the time to do it.

So go for it now... and make it a huge bill, at least 50-100 billion, and get us moving towards getting off oil.

For starters--

Include money to upgrade and expand existing public transport in all major and mid-size cities.

Grants for small cities and towns to buy shuttle buses and other transport systems.

Do a total revamp of Amtrak, maybe even re-name it, and get us moving towards building a real national rail system

Grants or credits for any local government that buys hybrid vehicles for their fleets.

.. and there is a lot more that could be done, but you get the idea

Its going to take some time to get our transportation infrastructure in order, and the time to get it started is now..

The Republicans have been doing everything they can to protect the oil corporations that are robbing Americans blind.

This is our best chance to beat the Republicans and their oil baron money backers, and start some long-term solutions to fight these insane gas prices.

All the people I talk to think it's a GREAT idea. My co-workers want ME to be president! lol I don't ever get any responses to my letters in the paper, though.

for a while now.

Truth is, it needs a federal hand to guide it, and push it from time to time. But don't look to DOT as it is now.

KC is the number two sprawl city in the US.

Mayors urge Congress to help fix US infrastructure
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3350233


In the link from 1999 and every successive year

:shrug:

Transportation Infrastructure and Local Government Capital Enhancement Act

I had not heard about that.

Any wonder that bigoil has already spent over $700 million in lobbying politicos so far this year. I expect the lobbying bill for the automotive industry is also pretty big.

They've got to keep the cars on the road and people spending at the pumps and keep congresscritters in line with the program.

It's a start.

I live in Portland, the center of the mass transit universe. In the period including about 1989-2009, we've spent at least five billion for transit just in the 23rd largest metropolitan area in the country.

But when you consider the costs of not doing it, the enormity is obvious.

Visit the Portland metro area, and you'll see how well it has worked. It could be a lot worse.

In a city like Portland, $250 million a year just for public transport would go a long way... sounds pretty good to me

And for 20 years in a row... wow.

I believe it when you say.. "Portland, the center of the mass transit universe"

Thats one fourth of a billion, so it would take 25 billion to easily provide money like that to every one of the top 100 cities in America.

And at the same time, lots of cities like Portland could take that original $250 million a year they were paying, and spend it on even more public transport, or anything else they needed

It's establishing and expanding the infrastructure.

Also, it was spread over the entire metro area and not just Portland proper.

:grr:

300,000,000 people on 9.8 million SQ KM equates to 30 people per SQ KM.

In France, where they can have a good public transportation system, there are 64,000,000 people on .64 million SQ KM (or 100 people per SQ KM).

That extra 70 people per SQ KM goes a long way towards making a very good public transportation system economically feasible.

Or to not have transportation within cities any size over 1.5 million.

If people want to live in rural areas they can choose to pay out the nose for transportation. We don't really have a choice but to move towards a rail system at this point.

Obama talked about it yesterday I think... building rail all over the Midwest.

:kick: