MetroNow Dispatch 12.2020
It's DECEMBER already!? This month's edition includes a call for Congress to #SaveTransit, the Transit Champion of the Month, Regional Infrastructure Priorities, and Important Transit Dates.
Snapshot: It is Time for Congress to Save Transit
Photo by Matthew Bornhorst on Unsplash
If you are reading this newsletter, we imagine you don’t need much convincing on transit’s critical role in supporting our regional economy, our essential workers and low-income families, and preventing total gridlock on our streets. We know how important transit is to our regional and national success. Unfortunately, gridlock in Congress has prevented legislators from getting that message.
In September, we sent a letter to our Regional Congressional Delegation with more than 90 public and private sector leaders urging Congress to take action and fund $32 billion in emergency funding for transit agencies. Congress did not act and only has a few days left this calendar year to save transit and support the state and local budgets that are critical to transit operations as well as health care, education and other critical needs during this pandemic.
With no relief in sight, WMATA and other transit agencies throughout the country are preparing to lay off thousands of front line workers, with up to 1,400 WMATA staff potentially being laid-off to help balance the budget. Meanwhile, coronavirus case numbers are spiking, essential workers are needed on the front lines, and bus operators are carrying more people than can safely social distance in the vehicle.
If we sound frustrated, it is because we are. Congress could have taken action months ago to provide relief and certainty to our transit agencies, transit employees, and the people who rely on transit. Instead, we are facing a long winter of uncertainty, unsure whether our transit agencies will make it to the other side. Without a fully functional rail and bus system, people will lose access to jobs, education and essential services traffic will increase, and economic recovery will be stalled. And we know that the significant cuts to bus service will disproportionately impact our region’s Black and Latino residents. We are thankful to nearly all of our Congressional Delegation who have voiced support for transit funding, but they must redouble efforts to make a deal that provides relief for the people and the public services most impacted by the pandemic.
Please tweet #SaveTransit, call your legislator, and tell friends how they can support transit funding from Congress.
Read More:
Metro’s Proposed Cuts Are A ‘Punch In The Gut’ For Workers And The Local Economy (DCIST 12.1.20)
”The proposal includes no weekend train service, closing the system at 9 p.m. with trains running only every 30 minutes on weekdays, and cuts to several bus routes. It turns a mass rapid transit system into essentially a commuter rail system.”Metro Proposes Cutting Weekend Trains, Closing 19 Stations, Reducing Train And Bus Service (DCIST 11.30.20) “What remains would be a “bare-bones service network to sustain essential travel,” according to a presentation that WMATA’s board will hear Friday. It also calls for eliminating 2,400 jobs. That’s in addition to 1,400 jobs already approved for cutting earlier this year. In all, it represents about a third of Metro’s workforce.”
How Covid-19 stopped Metro in its tracks — and how it could recover (Washington Business Journal 11.27.20) “The only thing that’s kept WMATA’s budget on track has been $876.8 million in federal CARES Act funding. The agency already used $227.9 million as of June 30 to help offset its passenger revenue losses.”
Transit Champion of the Month: Honorable Jeff McKay
Jeff McKay, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is our Transit Champion of the Month for his continued public support of our region’s transit systems during the pandemic as well as his critiques of WMATA when he disagrees. On November 13, he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post imploring the federal government to “invest in the transit agency that keeps its employees and our nation running.” We couldn’t agree more.
Our region has many public officials who understand the critical role transit plays in so many people’s lives and are invested in both supporting transit agencies and demanding better when they fall short. Chairman McKay has shown that leadership, so this month we thank him as our Transit Champion of the Month.
Read More:
Let’s not leave Metro high and dry (Washington Post 11.13.20) Opinion by Jeff McKay. “Metro won’t survive this shortfall without federal aid. This isn’t just a WMATA problem, of course... Clearly, the coronavirus is touching every sector of our economy.”
Why Metro’s surprise announcement of closing the Silver Line is problematic for Tysons (Washington Post 5.22.20) Opinion by Jeff McKay, Dalia Palchik and Sol Glasner. “The closure will also have a disproportionately negative effect on workers who lack mobility options. They will be disconnected from economic opportunity when they most need it.”
After ‘Whole Disaster,’ Fairfax Connector Bus Workers End Strike (WAMU 12.5.19) “Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay tweeted that he wants to put pressure on WMATA to end both strikes, saying they created this problem for Fairfax Connector.”
Next Stop: Infrastructure Week
Rendering of the view from H St Bridge looking south towards Union Station. Image by Akridge and Shalom Baranes Associates used with permission.
We know how critical funding public transit is in the immediate term, but what about the high-impact transit investments that will shape our future? Will 2021 be the year our nation embarks on a decade-long campaign to build the infrastructure needed for the 21st century? MetroNow believes the following four shovel-worthy transportation projects should be regional priorities for their ability to create a large number of living-wage jobs, and build a more equitable, sustainable, and competitive region:
Fund Regional Bus Network Redesigns and Bus Priority on Roads
Most people in the region regularly cross county and state borders without a second-thought. Our bus networks should not stop at the border either. A federal infrastructure bill could include criteria for regional transit coordination to access funds for bus lanes, transit signal priority, and queue jumps to avoid the parochial and piecemeal transit planning happening too often in the region today. For more on why our region should push for a Bus Network Redesign now, read our recent post Next Stop: Better Buses.
Build the New Long Bridge
Long Bridge, constructed in 1904 over the Potomac River, is a bottleneck for the regional and national rail system. The bridge is at capacity and cannot accommodate expected growth in passenger and freight rail over the next 20 years. Virginia and the District are committed to partner in building a new bridge and bike/ped crossing, but with a strong Federal partner, this project could be expedited and allow for growth in rail service all along the Eastern seaboard.
Create a Modern Union Station
A redeveloped Union Station should (and can!) be a world-class multimodal hub for the 21st century, seamlessly connecting buses to bikeshares and Metro to commuter and long-distance rail service. Union Station is the heart of the Washington-area transit system, but it too is showing growing pains and without expansion will not be able to keep up with demand that, in pre-pandemic times, exceeded capacity. To seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity that the Station Expansion Project presents, regional stakeholders are calling for a plan that would remake Union Station into a hub of the region's economy and a model of American transportation excellence.
Complete the Capital Trails Network
The Capital Trails Network is an idea to connect the 469 miles of existing trails around the Washington area by building 408 miles of new trail. This project, spearheaded by the Capital Trails Coalition, would create an unparalleled network of safe trails for walking, biking, and rolling—increasing access to jobs, recreation, and the safety and sustainability of the region. A recent study of the Baltimore Greenway Trail Network showed completing the network would create economic and social benefits far and above the cost of construction.
BE THERE: December Transit Dates
Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash
12/3: District Strong Economic Recovery Mini-Conference
Join the Federal City Council, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, D.C. Policy Center, and other partners to discuss the path towards strong, equitable economic recovery in the District. Be sure to check out the Transit lighting panel with WMATA chair Paul Smedberg, a transit case study presented by McKinsey, and more! Thurs, December 3, 10am-12:45pm
Check out the agenda & Register here!
12/10: Montgomery Better Buses Campaign Launch
Join the Coalition for Smart Growth for the launch of the Montgomery Better Buses campaign that reimagines Ride On and Metrobus in Montgomery County. Learn about the campaign, hear from at-large Councilmember Evan Glass, and ask our panel questions. The panel will include Shruti Bhatnagar from Sierra Club, Ashanti Martinez from CASA, and Clint Sobratti from UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO. Thurs, December 10, 12-1 PM
Register here!
12/11: Capital COVID Survey Closes
The second edition of the Greater Washington Partnership Capital COVID Snapshot Survey closes December 11. The first Snapshot showed a high level of uncertainty on physical return to worksites with a gradual return expected to last well into 2021. We encourage all employers in the region – private, public and non-profit – to answer the brief 10-minute survey about your organization's plans for the remainder of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.
Please share the survey with your employer.
Subscribe + Share!
Please tweet, call your legislator, and tell friends how they can support transit funding from Congress. Give us a retweet, #SaveTransit!
Follow @MetroNow on Twitter for daily tidbits of transit gold.
Reach out to us directly with any feedback, hot takes, or ideas for future newsletter topics: info@metronow.com
The MetroNow Coalition is made up of regional leaders from the business, non-profit, and advocacy communities who believe that transit is designed to bring us together —at work, school, and play. Today, we believe our collective advocacy for better transit for the Washington DC region is more important than ever.
We launched theMetroNow Dispatch to bring residents, leaders, and transit agencies together to think about how we can make better transit today, during the pandemic, and “tomorrow,” as we look beyond recovery to how we can build a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for our region.