Plans to improve public transportation across the country got a big lift recently, as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., committed more than $17 billion for high-speed rail and other public transportation projects.  

“This investment marks a bold step for our nation’s transportation system,” said our transportation advocate in Washington, D.C., John Krieger. “After decades of waiting, American high-speed rail is finally ready to leave the station.”

Historically, the United States has spent nine times more on highway projects than public transportation. But with an aggressive push for transit by ConnPIRG and other public transportation advocates, record levels of transit ridership, and growing frustration with airports and traffic, that is changing.

This February, as Congress debated President Obama’s economic recovery package, ConnPIRG made the case for more transit investment. In the end, lawmakers committed $9.3 billion to high-speed and intercity rail. This funding came on top of $8.4 billion designated for other public transit agencies.

Transit Pays Off

The renewed commitment to  public transportation will pay dividends for Connecticut families, making it cheaper to get around. Americans on average spend an astounding 20 percent of their annual income on transportation, more than they pay for food or even health care.

Research we released this spring showed that a typical Meriden family spends the equivalent of over two months of its annual income on transportation costs. But in communities with more robust transit systems, such as New Haven, households spend the equivalent of about two weeks less income to get around.