Traffic congestion has become one of the top concerns in the Twin Cities metro area. Transportation emerged as the most important problem residents face in Hennepin County?s 2004 Citizens Survey. It also ranked as county residents? top problem in 2002, the last time the survey was conducted.

?Surveys show an overwhelming majority of the public want to try to expand the transit system first before expanding roads,? said Lea Schuster, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities, a transit advocacy group.

Building political support for the 12-mile Hiawatha light rail line, however, took several decades. And, last year, the Northstar rail corridor failed to win legislative support. Will transit supporters face a battle for every rail line and every mile of track? Will the bus system face continued cuts? Or, can we look to the Denver area?s successful FasTracks referendum as an example of a region deciding to make a massive investment in transit for the common good?

?I agree that really has to happen here,? Schuster said. ?If we continue to do one line at a time, not only are we going to be behind other regions, but it?s never going to get done.?

Steve Hunter, secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, serves on the board of Transit for Livable Communities.

?We are advocating for more funding for transit, however we can get it there,? he said. Possible sources include state legislative appropriations, or voter approval for either a regional sales tax or a state constitutional amendment to fund transit from the gas tax.

?This is an issue for working families,? Schuster said. ?It?s critical for all workers, who are spending 20 to 40 percent of their income on transportation expenses and over a week a year stuck in traffic.?

For more information
Visit the Transit for Livable Communities website, www.tlcminnesota.org