More than four years ago, the Ohio Department of Transportation published a Transit Needs Study that identified a massive gap in both capital and operating funds between public transportation and roadway projects that serve single-passenger vehicles. The gap has hardly narrowed since then, and Ohio lags far behind other states in its support for transit and alternative modes of transportation.
Sierra Club and the MOVE Ohio coalition are asking for Ohio to spend at least $150 million annually on transit and active transportation. These investments would connect Ohioans to jobs, education and health care, they would improve public health, and they would reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
We are also asking Ohio to support the growing electric vehicle market by preserving incentives for consumers to choose cleaner cars.
And finally, we are asking Ohio to say “No!” to costly and destructive new highway construction. In particular, the 2020-21 Transportation Budget should NOT include any funding for the proposed Eastern Bypass project in southwest Ohio.
FIND YOUR STATE SENATOR HERE, AND CONTACT THEM TODAY
There is a great and growing demand in Ohio for transit and other car-free transportation alternatives. Transportation projects can and should benefit the environment, create opportunities for sustainable economic development, and provide equity and accessibility to all users, regardless of age, income or ability. Please call or write your State Senator today.
Thank you for protecting our health and Ohio’s environment!
ps. Here is a sample letter that you are welcome to use:
Dear Senator,
I am asking you to support public transit, active transportation and next generation technologies in this year's biennial statewide Transportation Budget. I am also asking you NOT to put any money toward the study or construction of new highway infrastructure in our state.
Please: (1) reallocate no less than $150 million annually for transit and active transportation; (2) support the widespread adoption of electric vehicles; and (3) purge the Transportation Budget of any and all provisions related to the proposed “Eastern Bypass” project in southwest Ohio. The Transportation Budget is borne on the backs of all taxpayers, and statewide expenditures should benefit all people and all modalities, not just motorists and land speculators.
In 2015, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) released a Transit Needs Study that illustrates our State’s transportation spending problem. Nearly a third of Ohio’s counties have no transit services, nearly a tenth of our residents don’t have access to a car, and the transportation sector spews out approximately one quarter of our State’s air pollution. And we sit near the bottom of a list of states ranked by transit expenditures. There is a great and growing demand for transit and other car-free transportation alternatives. Sensible transportation projects can and should benefit the environment, create opportunities for sustainable economic development, and provide equity and accessibility to all users, regardless of age, income or ability.
The proposed “Eastern Bypass” project stands in stark contrast to these universal needs — it is a private plan with little to no public support. In fact, the director of the Ohio Department of Transportation has described the Bypass as “an idea promoted by land developers for the sake of land development” and said that the Bypass “is not a new, feasible or good idea.”
The State should continue to pursue a Fix-it-First approach toward roadway maintenance. Let’s fix the Brent Spence Bridge, for example, before we consider any new highways.
Please do all that you can in this Budget cycle to ensure that we achieve economic development, increase employment opportunities, reduce urban sprawl and congestion, and create more livable communities for all Ohioans.
Sincerely,