Opportunity for All

A Transportation Action Plan for Washington

Transportation for Washington Staff A project of

Rob Johnson, Co-Chair Executive Director Transportation Choices Coalition [email protected] 206-329-2336 Hilary Franz, Co-Chair Executive Director Futurewise [email protected] 206-343-0681 Carrie Dolwick, Campaign Director [email protected] 206-329-2336 Brock Howell, Field Director [email protected] 206-343-0681 April Putney, Lobbyist [email protected] 206-343-0681 Shefali Ranganathan, Equity Caucus [email protected] 206-329-2336

Opportunity for All

A Transportation Action Plan for Washington
An action plan providing all Washingtonians with the opportunity to get to wherever they need to go.

Table of Contents
2 3 3 4 8 Letter to Our Leaders Key Findings Solutions Transportation Action Plan for Washington Revenue Sources

About Transportation for Washington

Transportation for Washington is a campaign led by Transportation Choices Coalition and Futurewise and supported by a coalition of more than 200 public officials and organizations that represent the social justice, housing, faith, health, environment, labor, and business communities. www.t4washington.org

Dear Governor Inslee and Chairs of the Transportation Committees, Picking up your children from daycare, delivering goods to the market, getting to school or workwhatever the destination, we all deserve the opportunity to get where we need to go. Transportation should be a path to prosperity for working families and businesses. When we invest in our transportation infrastructure, we create thousands of jobs to help grow our economy. Smart investments will also provide Washingtonians the freedom to get to work and school reliably and affordably, giving all people opportunities for success. Unfortunately, our system is broken. Transportation investments no longer reflect what Washingtonians want and need. Our transportation system should provide opportunity not expense, headache, and danger. We need safe, efficient roads that we can rely on. For too long though, we have focused limited transportation dollars on expanding highways, not preserving our existing system. Now, our roads are in disrepair. The same is true for our ferry system. And because most of our states transportation budget is spent on roads, bus service has been slashed by as much as 43% in some communities despite record high ridership. These are the wrong priorities for today and tomorrowand dont reflect our changing social and economic trends and needs. Washingtonians want to spend less money at the gas pump and spend more time with their family. Thats why Washingtonians are driving less and choosing to live in affordable, walkable communities connected by transit. Its time to give more Washingtonians this opportunity.

The good news is that by shifting long-standing investments toward fixing our roads, bridges and ferries, expanding transit service, and making our streets safer for all, we will not only create the backbone of a strong economy, we will also put more people to work. National studies find that road repair creates 17% more jobs than new highways, and, even more impressively, both new bicycle and new transit infrastructure create 40% more jobs. It is not only the right thing to do for our economy; it is the right thing to do for our environment. Our transportation system continues to be the leading polluter of our air and water. We can no longer ignore the toxic runoff and climate pollution from cars and trucks. We have to make sure that our transportation investments provide for cleaner and healthier transportation choices. Washingtonians deserve better. Our leaders need to address the importance of transportation investments in growing the economy and improving mobility while being realistic about what the state can responsibly finance, build, upkeep and operate given the changing demographics and needs of Washingtonians. Washington only works when we all have an opportunity to get where we need to go. This action plan will ensure more Washingtonians have the freedom to get around safely and affordably, while securing a transparent transportation system that generates equal opportunity for all through the next decade. Sincerely,

Hilary Franz, Futurewise

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Rob Johnson, Transportation Choices Coalition

Solutions
Fix It First
Prioritize new highway investments to fix bridges and roads, and maintain and replace our ferry system: at least $300 million annually. Increase direct state investments and authorize new local funding tools to enable local governments to repair, maintain, and improve local roads, traffic signals, and facilities for safe biking and walking. Adopt a Fix It First policy to guide state investments and federal funds allocation. Invest in strategic road projects that will increase the movement of people and goods, create jobs, and improve the health, safety and sustainability of our communities, and have realistic financing plans that are fiscally responsible. Increase direct state funding for transit, and intercity rail operations and maintenance, from diversified revenue sources, to maintain current service levels: $400 million annually. Invest in strategic transit improvements to accommodate anticipated population growth. Authorize a diverse menu of additional local or regional revenue options for all transit agencies, including a local option motor vehicle excise tax (MVET). Provide grants for local governments to implement Complete Streets, Safe Routes to Schools and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure: $150 million annually. Establish an Equitable Transit Communities grant program to incentivize affordable housing near high-capacity transit stations: $50 million annually for local governments to use on transportation improvements. Invest in clean water infrastructure to reduce polluted stormwater runoff: $75 million annually. Create a Deputy Secretary for Sustainable Communities within WSDOT to make sure that policies to improve transportation choices, housing, health status and environment are coordinated throughout state government. Adopt a plan to ensure that the transportation system meets the states greenhouse gas emission limits.
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Key Findings
From 2001 to 2009, young people between the ages of 1634 drove less, cutting miles driven by 23%.1 AARP estimates that 1 in 5 people age 65+ do not drive and more than 50% of these non-drivers stay home due to lack of transportation options.2 Fixing a road that is already worn out can cost three times as much as keeping a road in good condition with regular maintenance.3 Road and bridge repair projects create 17 percent more jobs per billion dollars than building new highway miles.4 New transit and bicycle infrastructure both generate 40 percent more jobs per dollar invested than similar spending on new highways.5 Less than 2% of the states $9.8 billion transportation budget is allocated to keeping buses and trains running.6 Twelve transit agencies have had to reduce service since 2009. 7 13% of all trips and 10% of all miles traveled are made by bicycle or on foot; yet, bicycle and pedestrian projects get less than 1% of the states transportation budget.8 In Seattle, a household can save an estimated $11,622 each year by riding transit instead of driving.9 Transportation accounts for more than half of our states greenhouse gas emissions.10

More Transit

Build Great, Healthy Communities

Rolling Annual Total VMT in US

VMT per capita, Pacific NW

Driving Less Across America people started driving significantly less in 2008. And in the Pacific Northwest, people have been steadily driving less every year for more than decade.11

15000

12000 9000 6000 3000 0

2001 2009

Opportunity for All:

A Transportation Action Plan for Washington
Washington only works when it creates infrastructure that gives us all an opportunity to succeed. The key to a safe, reliable, and efficient transportation system is to face economic reality and the changing preferences of our states residents. We can provide all Washingtonians with the freedom to get around safely, efficiently, and affordably by focusing our investments around three key principles: fix it first, more transit, and build great, healthy communities.

Changing Demographics Young adults and retirees are driving much less.1 With so many baby boomers leaving the work force and no one to replace their previous driving behaviors, a permanent change to travel patterns has set-in. Gas consumption will continue to drop, making the gas tax an unsustainable funding source while the need for new walking, biking, and transit infrastructure will grow.

Annual VMT per capita by year Percent more jobs than new roads

16

-1 7 18 -2 4 25 -2 9 30 -3 4 35 -3 40 9 -4 4 45 -4 9 50 -5 4 55 -5 9 60 -6 4 65 -6 9 70 -7 4 75 -7 9 80 -8 4 80 +

Comparison of Job Creation by Type of Infrastructure Project If you want to create jobs through new infrastructure, road repair and new pedestrian, bike, and transit projects all create more jobs than new roads.4, 5

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Prioritizing maintenance of our current roads will significantly reduce our costs down the road. Fixing our current road and ferry system will improve safety and save money, and it will also create 17% more jobs than building new highways.4

Solution
Prioritize new highway investments to fix bridges and roads, and maintain and replace our ferry system: at least $300 million annually. Increase direct state investments and authorize new local funding tools to enable local governments to repair, maintain, and improve local roads, traffic signals, and facilities for safe biking and walking. Adopt a Fix It First policy to guide state investments and federal funds allocation. Invest in strategic road projects that will increase the movement of people and goods, create jobs, and improve the health, safety and sustainability of our communities, and have realistic financing plans that are fiscally responsible.

1. Fix It First
Fix the crumbling bridges, roads and ferries first, and then ensure that strategic road investments create jobs, improve commerce, and increase the safety, health and sustainability of our communities.
Washington State has a transportation funding crisis. We need targeted, fiscally responsible investments that achieve maximum benefit for the most residents. The states primary transportation revenuethe gas taxis limited and mostly dedicated to pay off debt from previous transportation packages. The current condition of our state roads threatens the safety of our families. Across Washington State, 200 bridges have low safety ratings, many of which are in major traffic corridors like I-5 and I-90.12 Our local city and county streets are also in disrepair. And our marine highways are similarly threatened. Without new investment in our ferry system, aging vessels and terminals will mean more breakdowns, and declines in service level. Maintaining our current roads and bridges is cheaper than fixing failed infrastructure tomorrow. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, fixing a road that is already worn out can cost three times as much as keeping a road in good condition with regular maintenance. 3

156 Structurally deficient bridges12

Over $3.1 billion needed for road maintenance and preservation

Washingtonians overwhelmingly support funding for road preservation and maintenance13

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Solution

Increase direct state funding for transit, and intercity rail operations and maintenance, from diversified revenue sources, to maintain current service levels: $400 million annually. Invest in strategic transit improvements to accommodate anticipated population growth. Authorize a diverse menu of additional local or regional revenue options for all transit agencies, including a local option motor vehicle excise tax (MVET).

2. More Transit
Number of actions taken by transit agencies

Increasing transportation choices will reduce congestion, improve freight mobility, decrease pollution, connect people to jobs, connect our rural communities, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get where we need to go.
Transit service is critical to our states economy. Transit supports tens of thousands of jobs in Washington State, and provides a necessary means for people to access their jobs, homes, and other destinations. Major demographic changes are having huge impacts on our transportation system. Transit ridership and gas prices are reaching all-time highs while transit choices are being slashed across the state. Drastic cuts in revenue and the recession have forced service cuts, fare increases, and deferred capital investments. Investments in buses and trains are critical for making sure that Washington families can travel safely and affordably, without being stuck in traffic. Right behind owning or renting a home, transportation is the second highest household cost for the average Washington family; its more than they spend on food and more than twice what they spend on out-of-pocket health care costs.14 Current local transit funding sources are too limited to meet ridership needs and too volatile to withstand economic and demographic changes. Washingtonians need more diverse, progressive and robust local transit investment options to preserve and enhance transit service across the state. Pg 6 | Opportunity for All

Declining sales tax revenues have forced transit agencies to increase fares and cut service. Community Transit in Snohomish

Fare increases since 2008

Service cuts since 2009

County eliminated all Sunday bus service, Pierce Transit will soon have 80% less bus service than in 1980, and King County Metro faces drastic cuts when temporary funding runs out in early 2014.7

Households can save $11,662 each year when they switch from car dependency to transit.9

63%

Voters will reject an unbalanced transportation package without transit.13

In addition to these negative health impacts, our current transportation system is also harming our environment. Transportation accounts for more than half of our states climate pollution and it creates our top water pollutant: polluted stormwater runoff.10 Toxic oil runs off our streets and parking lots into lakes, streams, rivers, and ultimately the Columbia River or Puget Sound. Our transportation investments should reduce future toxic pollutants and lessen our existing impact.

Solution

3. Build Great, Healthy Communities

Investing in more affordable and healthy neighborhoods will create equal opportunity for more Washingtonians.
Our transportation systemwhat, where, and how we build itwill have an enormous impact on our shared prosperity, our health, and our environment as our population grows by 1.7 million people in the next 30 years. Our poorest communities are most challenged by limited transportation choices. Thousands in marginalized population groups across Washington State have inadequate access to affordable, reliable, and quality transportation options. By building more affordable housing and jobs along transit corridorsand by better serving our existing job and housing centers with transitwe can reduce transportation costs and make our communities healthier. Todays transportation network not only shapes our communities, it also affects the health of the people who live, work and play in them. Physical activity has been engineered out of our system, leading to the steady rise in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other chronic health conditions. Transportations impact on health has become unnecessarily harmful; pedestrian deaths are the third leading cause of death for Washington children.15 Improving our streets to extend sidewalks and bicycle lanes will make it safer and healthier for people of all ages.

Provide grants for local governments to implement Complete Streets, Safe Routes to Schools and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure: $150 million annually. Establish an Equitable Transit Communities grant program to incentivize affordable housing near high-capacity transit stations: $50 million annually for local governments to use on transportation improvements. Invest in clean water infrastructure to reduce polluted stormwater runoff: $75 million annually. Create a Deputy Secretary for Sustainable Communities within WSDOT to make sure that policies to improve transportation choices, housing, health and environment are consistent and coordinated throughout state government. Adopt a plan to ensure that the transportation system meets the states greenhouse gas emission limits.

Americans are 65% more likely to walk in a neighborhood with sidewalks. Studies have shown that 43% of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of their home met the Surgeon Generals recommended activity levels compared to only 27% of those without safe walking conditions.16
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Revenue Sources
It is critical that our next Governor and legislature employ multiple revenue streams dedicated to the three-tier action plan to fix our crumbling system, invest in more transit, and build great, healthy communities. Transportation for Washington supports the following guidelines when choosing revenue sources: Every option should be on the table but the legislature should prioritize sources that are stable and fair. Because all transportation improvements provide widely dispersed benefits to all transportation users, no one mode of transportation should be solely funded by any one tax or fee. The legislature must consider public support to guide decisions on revenue because the voters will likely have the final say. The Connecting Washington Taskforce identified a range of funding options. Here is a list of those and others: State level increase user fees such as the passenger and commercial weight fees; gas tax for movement of people and goods; tolling; barrel tax; hazardous substance tax; road user charge; and emissions tax. Local options Motor vehicle excise tax (MVET), fuel tax, property tax; tolling; parking fee or levy; car insurance surcharge; congestion reduction charge; and street utilities. Additional options carbon tax; tire and battery fees; rental car tax; hotel/motel tax; and transportation utility fees; and elimination of the sales and use tax exemption on gas tax.

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End Notes
1 2001 American Community Survey; 2009 American Consumer Survey; and Davis, Dutzik & Baxandall, Transportation and the New Generation, The Frontier Group & US PIRG (2012). 2 Bailey, Stranded without Options, Surface Transportation Policy Project (2004). 3 Rough Roads Ahead, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (2009). 4 Heintz, Pollin & GarrettPeltier, How Infrastructure Investments Support the U.S. Economy: Employment, Productivity and Growth, Political Economy Research Institute, Univ. of Mass. at Amherst (Jan. 2009), http://www.peri.umass.edu/fileadmin/pdf/other_publication_types/green_economics/PERI_Infrastructure_Investments. 5 Garrett-Peltier, Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure: A National Study of Employment Impacts, Political Economy Research Institute, Univ. of Mass. at Amherst (June 2011), http://www.peri.umass.edu/fileadmin/pdf/published_study/PERI_ABikes_October2011.pdf. 6 Washingtons Transportation Budget for 2011-13 Biennium Based on the 2011 Legislative Budget, 2011 March Forecast 7 Washington State Department of Transportation, Summary of Public Transportation, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/SustainableTransportation/. 8 2009 National Household Travel Survey; and 2009 American Community Survey. 9 Transit Savings Report, American Public Transportation Association (Nov. 2012). 10 Washington State Department of Transportation, Sustainable Transportation, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/SustainableTransportation/. 11 Federal Highway Administration, Historical Monthly VMT Report, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/travel/tvt/history/; and Williams-Derry, Shifting Into Reverse: Northwest gasoline consumption makes a modest decline, Sightline Institute (Aug. 2012), http://www.sightline.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/08/gas-report_2012.pdf. 12 Washington State Department of Transportation, Structurally Deficient Bridges Report (Sept. 2011), http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/6A570363-EC34-4010-986E-591A89CEA6FB/0/SD_AUG2010v2.pdf. 13 Washington State Transportation Commission & EMC, 2011 Statewide Transportation Survey Report and Findings (Feb. 2012), http://www.wstc.wa.gov/StudiesSurveys/StatewideTransportationSurvey/documents/2012_0209_WSTCToplineResults.pdf. 14 A New Economic Analysis of Infrastructure Investment, Department of Treasury and the Council of Economic Advisers (March 23, 2012). 15 Washington Traffic Safety Commission, http://www.wtsc.wa.gov/programs-priorities/pedestrians-bicycles/. 16 Powell, Martin & Chowdhury, Places to walk: convenience and regular physical activity, American Journal of Public Health (2003), vol. 93, pp. 1519-1521; Giles-Corti & Donovan, The relative influence of individual, social, and physical environment determinants of physical activity, Social Science & Medicine (2002), vol. 54, pp. 1793-1812; and Complete Streets Promote Good Health, National Complete Streets Coalition, http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/cs/factsheets/cs-health.pdf.

Photo Credits
Front Cover Sound Transit train, Seattle, Oran Viriyincy; bridge, Spokane, Roger Lynn; bicycling, Bellingham, Buff Black Page 1 C-Tran bus, Vancouver, C-Tran Page 3 Ferry, Elliott Bay, Futurewise Page 4 Two children at Columbia City Link Light Rail Station, Seattle, Transportation Choices Coalition Page 5 Construction workers, Seattle, Seattle DOT Page 6 Community Transit bus, Everett, Oran Viriyincy Page 7 Park, Tacoma, Pierce Transit Page 8 Family holding T4W sign, Seattle, Transportation For Washington

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