Politics & Government

Study: Pay for Public Transit or Roads?

Southern California voters favor public transportation investment over roads, according to a Move LA survey.

Southern California voters across six counties prefer investment in rail, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian transit projects over building new roads, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The survey provided a showing of support for transit, with four of five voters saying they support investing in public transportation, and 51 percent said they "strongly" support these investments.

Given a hypothetical budget, 758 registered voters surveyed said about half the budget should be divided evenly between public transportation and maintaining existing roads and highways.

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Voters divided the remaining 50 percent of the budget almost evenly between expanding roads and highways, maintaining existing trains and buses, and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

The survey was sponsored by Move LA, a group that advocates for public transportation, the American Lung Association in California, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

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"Voters prioritize expanding public transportation as the most effective means of reducing traffic congestion and air pollution," said Move LA Executive Director Denny Zane said. "The findings also show that voters would prefer living in communities that are walkable and mixed-use even if this means living in a smaller home."

Sixty-four percent of those surveyed also said they would prefer to live in walkable neighborhoods. Thirty-four percent favored communities that are mostly residential and require a drive to stores and businesses.

The interviews were conducted in late October by public opinion research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates.

The region's transportation infrastructure would look very different if Southern California voters were in charge of transportation plans, said the NRDC's Amanda Eaken.

Voters understand what so many studies have told us. Widening roads will not solve traffic congestion," Eaken said. "Instead, designing that increase our mobility and freedom ... is what will ultimately solve the problem."

— City News Service


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