MASSPIRG
PRESS RELEASE
Immediate Release Contact:
April 8, 2008 Eric
Bourassa, 617-747-4314
Transportation Bond
Bill Passes
Legislature
Includes
$700 million to fund public transportation related projects
Boston—The state legislature passed transportation
bond legislation on Tuesday, including $700 million dedicated to public
transportation improvements and expansions.
The lion’s share of
the public transit funding is for the Green Line extension to Somerville
and Medford,
incase the project does not qualify for federal New Starts grants which would
cover over half of the cost.
“This is a great
move forward in seeing more public transportation in Massachusetts,
especially in advancing the Green Line into one of the most densely populated
communities in New England,” said MASSPIRG
Advocate Eric Bourassa.
Bourassa noted that
public transportation has immense benefits, not only for transit riders, but
also for achieving oil dependence, addressing global warming, and clearing
traffic congestion.
Last month MASSPIRG
released a comprehensive study of public transportation systems nationally and
in Massachusetts,
entitled A
Better Way to Go: Meeting America’s 21st Century Transportation
Challenges with Modern Public Transit. The
report’s key findings were that existing transit in Massachusetts saved 154
million gallons of oil in 2006, which translated into $403 million in savings
for the economy. And transit saved 21 million hours of traffic delay for
commuters and reduced carbon emissions by 1.2 million metric tons in 2006, the
equivalent of taking 225,000 cars off the road.
Other funding in the
bond legislation will be for additional stops on the Fairmont Commuter rail
line, more parking at transit hubs, and a study to link the MBTA Blue and Red
lines.
