Each year federal agencies receive funding from Congress, known as budgetary resources . In 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOT) had $354.83 Billion distributed among its 11 sub-components. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 appropriated $1.5 billion to the Department of Transportation for 478 projects at the request of Members of Congress. Tribal, state, and local governments received the funds to make improvements to transportation infrastructure. including roads, sidewalks and concourse renovations for airports. Each individual fund ranged from $30,000 to $100 million, with over 80 percent of projects receiving less than $5 million per project.
@ISIDEWITH7yrs7Y
Yes
@9GGD5TP 7mos7MO
Top Agreement
Yes, Public Transportation is essential its more sustainable than cars, not saying I don't like cars, and it will actually be more helpful to our city and surrounding cities and even states to travel on a more affordable and faster level like trains.
In 2019, the New York City Subway system required nearly $17 billion in operating expenses, which was heavily subsidized by taxpayers. The increased spending did no lead to improved services. Between 1996 and 2015, despite a 25% increase in spending, the U.S. public transit saw a decrease in ridership by about 6%.
@9KSYZK2Independent3mos3MO
That is because US public transportation is highly inefficient due to car dependency. Cars aren't bad, but relying on them creates problems. We need to give people viable alternative transportation options.
@9GGDQPC7mos7MO
I am also of the belief that free college should be an option given to all potential students as every individual has the right to have resources to better their qaulity of life or simply be able to pursue an education because they want to.
@9H83MWG6mos6MO
You do have the right to have resource to better your quality of life. This resource is called a job. It is very much possible to go to an in state college and live at home while working and still be debt free afterward. Even not debt free almost everyone still has a chance to pursue education if they want to.
@9GGF3GT7mos7MO
use a car, but it can be valid yet youre probably spendin more money on public transportation tan you are on usin a car
@9GYYPY3 7mos7MO
Funding for public transportation can help improve the other issues as well. For example, it helps with the issue of climate change. According to 𝘜𝘊𝘓𝘈 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, "Every vehicle on the road releases an average of one pound of CO2 per mile driven. Compared with driving alone, taking public transportation reduces CO2 emissions by 45%, decreasing pollutants in the atmosphere and improving air quality. It's estimated that public transportation in the U.S. saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually..." (Pei).
Work Cited:
Pei, Andy. “5 Environmental Benefits of Sustainable Transportation.” UCLA Transportation, 7 Oct 2021, transportation.ucla.edu/blog/5-environmental-benefits-sustainable-transportation. Accessed 14 November 2023.
@9GYZQP77mos7MO
help people afford electric vehicles at the same price as a cheap car cause then theyll release less gas emmisions in the future and theyd be able to get around better or convert public transit electric
@9KSYZK2Independent3mos3MO
Haha, right. More lithium mined for batteries sounds WAY more sustainable. Besides climate change, it should be known that car dependency regardless if the cars are electric or not is bad for city economies and the mental health of people.
@9GJTZNX 7mos7MO
Cars produce smog, and regardless of your views on climate change, it is not good for our health to be inhaling lots of it. Reducing cars on the road by increasing investment in public transport will give those who do not want to drive the option to take other forms of transport and it will give those who cannot afford a car a reliable option. Most citizens will benefit, even those not intending on taking public transport as their travel times will decrease. Public transport investment will also make cities a source of pride and strength, and it will also increase economic activity in a city.
@9GLC2BV 7mos7MO
If we give citizens viable options for alternative transportation, they will choose what works best for themselves. The problem is there aren’t great options for alternatives. We invest heavily in cars in this country while we should have affordable options for not just inner city travel, but also commuting from suburbian areas and cross-country high speed rail systems. We are a nation of innovation and it’s time we start behaving as one instead of just claiming it. Building greater transportation systems that don’t just rely on cars will enable better access to work, childc… Read more
@9GL96ZNWomen’s Equality7mos7MO
I agree with this, i think there should be more available bus routes that travel all over the city, as well and trains, the United kingdom has trains that travel through all their cities and it is very beneficial to them
@9JDB9JC4mos4MO
The U.S. isn't the Uk though at all. Just because it worked for the UK doesn't mean the same implementation of utilizing trains alongside buses wouldn't work for the U.S. as our land is much greater, state and federal government operates differently, etc.
@9KSYZK2Independent3mos3MO
America is big, but that doesn't mean you're traveling from Seattle to Miami weekly. Rail has worked efficiently before and was very widespread (especially in the North,) and with enough determination, it can now work as well.
@9GLD9Y97mos7MO
I agree having a more functional interstate and local road systems as well as a more developed bus and train system would greatly benefit the lower to middle class and cut down on fuel spending on just cars.
@ISIDEWITH7yrs7Y
No
@9GHKL2Z7mos7MO
I believe that the public transportation should be lowered. Because the people who work in Transportation still need to make money
@9GQPJDQRepublican7mos7MO
I think public transportation should be free to some people. I say this because for people who can't afford public transportation should be allowed to be free and people can pay should pay the amount for the transportation.
@9G3R52H8mos8MO
i don't feel like we should provide free transportation i mean hell we are paying more taxes for everything at least they should something nice for us but no biden would rather drain us for our money
@9H6TSVYPeace and Freedom6mos6MO
We should provide more free public transportation.
@ISIDEWITH7yrs7Y
Yes, and provide more free public transportation
@9GHF8ZZLibertarian 7mos7MO
Top Disagreement
Government has proven time and time again that they are inefficient and produce subpar programs whenever they try to become involved with public transportation. The solution is not more money in the hands of those who do not know how to utilize it, but rather money in different hands: those of the private businesses that are motivated by competition to provide the best services.
@9GHGB277mos7MO
The governments of the past may have mishandled the execution of public transport programs, but we have seen examples around the world of government-funded public transport being effective and beneficial to commerce. It simply needs to be executed appropriately, with the help of the most skilled engineers and experts.
@P4rtyClam7mos7MO
We can't ignore the success stories of public transportation in cities like Singapore and Tokyo, where government-run systems are efficient, reliable, and affordable. These cities demonstrate that public transportation can be well-managed and effective.
@9GHHRCL7mos7MO
the government makes subpar transportation services because they arent actually interested in making public transport more accessible. they're more interested than money from car companies.
@9GJGJNRIndependent7mos7MO
no, we shouldn't provide free transportation but lower prices because people could abuse the power of having free transportation, there could people riding the bus that don't need to use it because they have a car and when people who actually needs it cant because it becomes full, but if you lower it more people would be able to ride where they need to go with no problem and it'll still take care of the gas problem.
@9GL9X9KPeace and Freedom7mos7MO
Although free public transportation being free is nice, it will affect the citizens who work in those public transportation jobs. By many people losing their jobs, which means that many people won't be able to bring money to their homes. And many public transportation businesses will be losing money and they will have to invest in another business or will have to get another job.
@9G9792R8mos8MO
no, we shouldn't provide free transportation but lower prices because people could abuse the power of having free transportation, there could people riding the bus that don't need to use it because they have a car and when people who actually needs it cant because it becomes full, but if you lower it more people would be able to ride where they need to go with no problem and it'll still take care of the gas problem.
@ISIDEWITH7yrs7Y
Yes, but only if the spending goes towards environmentally friendly solutions
@9GHM8CQ 7mos7MO
Top Agreement
Environmentally friendly solutions have been shown to be more economically friendly in the long-term than regular emission-producing options due to the rising gas prices and short term lives of traditional engines.
@Activ1stChoughLibertarian7mos7MO
Electric buses cost significantly more than their diesel counterparts. The infrastructure for charging these vehicles is also not as developed, potentially leading to further costs.
@9GHNG7R7mos7MO
However, envirnomental problems have been going on too long and have reached dangerous levels, The United States can not afford to make long-term changes as they do not have the time to execute such.
Public transportation can help the environment by decreasing the need for things that hurt the planet, such as large roads, parking lots, and low-capacity vehicles like cars.
@9FS7CL28mos8MO
One of the main draws of public transit is lower emissions, so making it as environmentally friendly as possible is the best way to do this.
@9FGP9Q58mos8MO
All public transit is environmentally friendly, in comparison to individual automobiles. One bus can take ten cars off the road and reduce emissions, even if the bus isn't particularly efficient.
@9KSYZK2Independent3mos3MO
It can be efficient if better bus infrastructure is made.
@ISIDEWITH7yrs7Y
No, and we should privatize more public transportation services
@93XXJ6B2yrs2Y
I wholeheartly disagree. (This is long, but I'm not really trying to change your opinion on this. It doesn't matter what you think, I actively work on transportation in life, so my opinion will not just stay as an idle opinion on the internet) If we take lessons from history, I'm taking the time when public transit was largely privatized, then we will see that this will, probably, lead to nothing good. An example most transit enthuists know of is the Los Angeles streetcar, although I am going to explaining more than most people understand it. LA was once the city with the largest interurban streetcar system in the world, and this was run by a private company. The private company, Pacifific Electric/LARY, built these streetcar lines out for the pure intrest of profit, and running a streetcar was not and is not profitable. They made money by building out the lines and selling the real estate because the streetcar drastically increased property value. The people were as reliant with the streetcar, or more often nicknamed the red car, as they are with the automobile now. Like the big railroads of the time, they were also big infuencers on politics, this time with town hall not capital hill. They were nitourious for bribing city officals and corrupting local governments, as such the people resented them and they were eager when the ford model T became widely avaiable to switch over to gain freedom from the streetcar. Pacific Electric/LARY as such, lost heavy amounts of profit. The thought of subsidizing the streetcar though, was unpopular, and they ended up closing a lot of lines as they fell into deeper disrepair than they had already left them in too keep profits rolling. They planned to switch to buses before WW2, but the rubber shortage made them halt. Then General Motors bought up the companies and replaced the final lines with buses. This has given a lot of people the false consiparcy that GM killed the streetcar, they also did this in many other cities with their streetcar lines, but in reality, the nature of private businesses do not lend well to public utility. The only reason any privart public transportation companies exist in america now is because of government subsides. In an entirely free market system, public transit would not survive. Although if an entirely free market system existed than there wouldn't have been the development of the transcontinetal railways, the era of the freeway, and modern america as we know it. Maybe government bonds are Read more
@99G6J3L1yr1Y
well if the government isn't going to do anything about then we should, its time we take advantage of how the government refuses to regulate some aspects of our market that have resulted in harm
@9FBQKM79mos9MO
Public transit drives economic growth which our government should incentivize. Furthermore, public transit is a critical to many people's daily lives, especially in low income areas. Lastly, public transit often relies on public subsidies anyway and is typically far from profitable, thus making it extremely difficult to operate privately.
@9FD8TJN8mos8MO
America is built off of cars and is incredibly dangerous for pedestrians. Public transportation makes our roads safer and less harmful to the environment, but our current public transportation is inefficient. If we invest in more options for transportation, like safer biking trails, buses, more walkable areas, etc., the environment is improved and the raods are safer.
@CoyoteMartyLibertarian8mos8MO
While it's true that public transportation can make roads safer and less harmful to the environment, it's also important to consider the financial implications of such an investment. For instance, the case of Detroit's QLine streetcar shows that investing in public transportation doesn't always lead to anticipated outcomes. Despite the $187 million spent on its development, the QLine has seen low ridership and financial struggles. This suggests that before increasing spending, we need to ensure that the public transportation options being considered are sustainable and will be utilized effectively by the community. What are your thoughts on this? How can we ensure the success of public transportation initiatives?
@9CXSYFB 10mos10MO
Private companies have the incentive to streamline. The government wastes money on every program and agency they run, cause who cares it’s just OUR money.
@Bl4ckBoxLizardSocialist10mos10MO
While it's true that private companies often strive for efficiency, public transportation is a vital service that needs to be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford it. Private companies might prioritize profits over people, potentially neglecting underserved communities. Government-run programs, while not perfect, aim to provide equal service to all citizens. What do you think about the need for accessibility in public transportation?
@ISIDEWITH7yrs7Y
No, we have more important issues that need funding
@9H49LBV6mos6MO
Americans need to use cars less and prioritize public transportation to combat urban sprawl and climate change.
@9H4YSXT6mos6MO
More public transportation funding will allow our economy to flourish through the development of high speed rail
@9H2Y8B77mos7MO
Public transportation will facilitate the lives of US citizens and they are paying taxes for the government to take care of those things.
@9H2CP337mos7MO
We can't just let urban sprawling get even more out of control, the amount of cars lead to higher traffic, which leads to more road expansions, which leads to pollution, and again, in tandem with abhorrent urban planning, increases urban sprawling and potentially the destruction of wildlife habitats due to city expansion due to urban sprawling. This is an important issue that also needs attention and should not be casted on with a blind eye.
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