APTA: Public transit receives overwhelming voter support

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) says that voters on Tuesday continued their strong support for public transportation at the local level.

 

This year, public transit initiatives prevailed at the ballot box by 71 percent, the association notes. This includes 15 out of a possible 25 local public transit-related ballot initiatives passing on Election Day as tracked by the Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE). That totals to more than $6 billion of public transportation investment in local communities across America.

Public transit ballot initiatives garnered a passage rate of 60 percent on November 4. The totals culminate to 41 out of 58 pro-transit measures passing in 2014. Officials at APTA emphasized these totals are a part of a long-term trend. Since the year 2000, more than 72 percent of public transit ballot measures have successfully passed.

“While American voters have become more discerning on what issues to support with their tax dollars, citizens continued to vote to overwhelmingly support public transportation ballot initiatives because it helps to grow their communities,” said APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy. “These votes serve as affirmation of the strong bi-partisan support that public transit initiatives enjoy throughout the country. Voters place great value in public transit and are willing to vote to tax themselves to invest in their communities.”

In Alameda, Calif., 69.6 percent of voters approved increasing the sales tax to a full penny for public transit and other transportation related projects. In the Atlanta region, 74 percent of Clayton County, Ga., voters supported becoming part of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority public transit system. Meanwhile, San Francisco, Calif., had two initiatives related to public transportation funding. Voters approved both by more than 70 percent margins. In Rhode Island, 60 percent of voters approved a public transit bond measure.

For a complete list of 2014 transportation state and local ballot initiatives, go to the CFTE web site at www.cfte.org.

 

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