Bad bus deja vu
Port Authority cuts from state? Not this again
The 1993 film “Groundhog Day” was turned into a critically acclaimed musical this year. People are drawn to the fantasy story about being trapped in an endless loop of absurd circumstances. The show closed early on Broadway, but some Republicans in Harrisburg appear to be working to reprise its theme on the stage of public transportation.
To close the state budget gap, some GOP legislators have proposed a “Taxpayers’ Budget.” As part of its strategy, it would transfer millions out of 41 special state funds. The Public Transit Trust Fund would take a $357 million hit. The Port Authority of Allegheny County claims that, as a result, its state funding would be cut by $80 million. The trickledown: Bus and T service hours slashed by 20 percent, half of its 98 routes eliminated or weekend service cut altogether. Inevitable ridership declines would diminish local matching support.
Yes, we have seen this movie before. Remember the march of gloomy headlines earlier this decade? “Port Authority Approves 15 Percent Service” in 2011, followed by “Cuts in Suburban Bus Routes Changed Lives.” A combination of concessions in labor contracts, service adjustments and steady state funding after the 2014 passage of the Act 89 transportation bill brought stability. The Port Authority moved from constant crisis mode to building for the future.
In the hard negotiations taking place to close a $3 billion budget gap, with the doomsday clock ticking, all sides are going to have to give something. The GOP’s Taxpayers Budget cannot be dismissed out of hand. Its goal is to tap funds “sitting idle in special government accounts that have inordinately high reserve balances” in order to avoid tax increases. The question is how much to tap, knowing that every constituency is bound to cry in pain. The legislators propose taking $27 million from the state Racing Fund; surely the horseracing community is up in arms over that.
Yet public transportation plays a pivotal role in economic development. Transit systems the world over rely on public subsidies. Rural communities often resent seeing tax money supporting expensive systems they will never use, but that doesn’t change the fact that cities are engines of job creation and their benefits are shared throughout the state.
In the coming weeks, Amazon executives will consider dozens of viable offers to host its new headquarters. What will they think about a city whose state appears willing to toy with public transit cuts? That’s an easy answer: They will hit the delete button.
Consider this passage from Amazon’s request for proposals: “Amazon will continue to invest in its facilities to ensure we offer a state-of-theart workplace. States, provinces and metro economic development organizations should consider this as they suggest potential sites. Be sure to include opportunities to cultivate local culture and creativity into the Amazon HQ2 site. Also, include connectivity options:
and additional creative options to foster connectivity between buildings/facilities” (italics added).
Amazon is not run by old hippies who think bike lanes and public transportation are part of a socialist utopia. It is a hard-nosed, innovative enterprise that is remaking the world of retailing, media and cloud computing and who knows what else. When its leaders signal a desire for strong public transit, that’s not an idle request — it’s central to their vision. It’s also a mainstream prescription for the future of cities.