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Investment in public transit now could pay green dividends later
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One billion dollars in public transit investment in capital and operations produces 36,000 jobs; that’s the findings of an American Public Transportation Association (APTA) report released on Oct. 23, ’09. Titled “Economic Impact of Public Transportation Investment,” one report finding was: “Combining investment in public transportation capital and operations within the US, the analysis indicates that an average of 36,000 jobs are supported for one year, per billion dollars of annual spending on public transportation, given the existing mix of operations (71 percent) and capital (29 percent) expenditures.”
The impacts are more than just monetary. There are environmental benefits among others.
“Pollution from auto emissions contributes to a wide variety of negative health problems such as respiratory illness and lung damage,” the report noted. That said, the more public transit miles logged along with less automobile miles logged, the lower the carbon footprint. “Improving the environmental quality of a region may help to attract workers and business that support transportation systems that improve the environment.”
There are a host of impacts outlined (and described). These are:
- Spending Impacts
- Travel Improvement Impacts
- Access Improvement Impacts
- Non-Monetary Impacts
- Other Economic Impact Measures
“Key findings of the report are organized in terms of three categories: (1) the effect of spending money on public transportation, which creates immediate jobs and income by supporting manufacturing, construction and public transportation operation activities; (2) longer-term effects of investment in public transportation, which enables a variety of economic efficiency and productivity impacts to unfold as a consequence of changes in travel times, costs and access factors; and (3) conclusions regarding the interpretation and policy consideration of economic impacts associated with public transportation investment,” all as spelled out in the report’s “Summary” under the sub-head “Objective.”
If all this seems unimportant now or of little relevance short-term, then consider this: Should gas prices soar to $5 per gallon or more or if the supply of fuel becomes scarce, it is far better to have a viable public transit option in place ahead of time than be lacking such. Many communities are engaged in planning and building new public transit systems and extending existing ones.
For more information visit the American Public Transportation Association at: www.apta.com
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