Monday editorial: Bus route
On July 31 — 15 years to the day after the first MetroLink train pulled out of Union Station amid much ballyhoo — politicians and civic leaders will gather at Washington University for what’s being billed as a “transit summit.”
Although not on the official agenda, the subtext of the gathering is whether a proposed half-cent transit tax increase that is expected to appear on the Nov. 4 ballot in St. Louis County is a worthwhile investment.
If approved, the measure would raise about $80 million, half of which would be devoted to MetroLink expansion and half to the daily operations of the Metro transit agency. Passage in the county also would allow the city to levy a quarter-cent cent Metro tax approved by voters in 1997.
Among those scheduled to address the gathering are leaders from the Federal Transportation Administration and the Missouri Department of Transportation, as well as Missouri state Rep. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, who would be the new speaker of the House if, as expected, Republicans maintain their majority in the fall election. St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern and Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan have been invited to address the broad topic of “moving forward.”
“Summit” is a funny word. It can represent the high ground from which a glimpse of a promising future becomes clear, or it can signify a final stop at a high point before a rapid descent over a precipice.
Fifteen years after light rail began its ascent, it’s not clear on which kind of summit regional mass transit finds itself.
Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline and growing worries about global warming could change an equation that has worked against public transit in St. Louis, which is used by fewer than 5 percent of the region’s residents, according to a U.S. Census report.
But that figure could rise along with the price of gas if Metro finds a way to expand and then operate a system that serves much of the region’s working, shopping and entertainment districts, government offices, cultural institutions and other frequent destinations.
Sometimes forgotten in the equation is that even those who don’t ride the buses or trains regularly benefit from public transit. This is a topic that prominent conservatives Paul Weyrich and William Lind addressed in a 2003 paper, citing increased real estate values of property close to light rail lines, fuel savings, reduced vehicle wear and tear, lower parking expenses, reduced road congestion, improved air quality and increased energy conservation.
Panelists at the St. Louis tansit summit would do well to address these topics and offer a realistic assessment of the potential benefits of expanded mass transit.
Four-dollar gas might work to Metro’s advantage, but it’s also a major liability to an agency that runs 400 disesel-fueled buses that squeeze only three miles out of each gallon. Without a tax increase, Metro will have to retrench and retreat in a big way, and fuel is just part of the reason.
The agency made a major blunder when it failed to plan adequately for the operating costs generated by MetroLink’s Cross County expansion. Add to that the costly lawsuit it lost against the construction managers of that project and the public relations debacle that ensued. Factor in the higher fuel costs, and you have an agency that is seriously strapped.
Newly appointed Metro President Robert J. Baer is helping to right the agency’s listing fiscal ship, but the reality is that the agency faces rate hikes, service reductions and even layoffs. Even the recently approved $221.6 million operating budget projects an $8.4 million shortfall.
Nobody likes the idea of paying more for less service, but that’s the reality unless the tax is passed in November. The July 31 summit gives Metro and its allies a chance to show voters grim possibilities and bright promises alike. Both will help them make thoughtful choices on Election Day.
(Pictured: Lori Stiehr, in 2003, took the Metro from her morning job in a law office to her afternoon job at Office Depot in Creve Coeur five days a week. J.B. Forbes/ Post-Dispatch.)
(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)
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Pardon me if I will not be impressed by the scripted response this “Summit” will generate. Our regional “leaders” have a track record of promoting anything involving the laying of concrete with estimates that are always worng. Think of what they are asking. They want you to pay one-half cent on every dollar you spend for a system that was desgined by politicians and has the utility of a two fingered glove. Here is the most damning fact: this system loses over sixty cents for every dollar it brings in. Because it loses so much money, your civic leaders want to raise your taxes to guess what…make it bigger so it will lose even more money and require your taxes to go up even more. Asking overburdened taxpayers to pay even more when everyone is stretched by $4.00 gas tells me exactly how smart these people are. I predict the gloom and doom spin doctors will be working overtime to predict the end of the world if this tax isn’t passed. They will make the predictions of gloom over the Highway 40 closure seem like a two inch snow storm. They will not want to address efficiencies like ending needless advertising programs, over-served routes, or bus drivers who make more than teachers in the highest paying districts. BiState/Metro would serve its customers and the taxpayers better by getting its house in order before trying to expand this fiscal nightmare. Charlie Dooley would serve his constituents better by stopping his insulting attempts to raise taxes without any explaination of how the tax would be spent.