In a landmark decision last Wednesday, the Federal Transit Administration announced sweeping changes to federal funding requirements for light-rail and busway projects. Responding to years of community frustration, the FTA has finally elevated livability and sustainability factors over mere cost-effectiveness. This will make a profound difference in the way transitways are planned, and we need look no further than our own back yard to see why.
The change could mean that the Central Corridor light-rail project can now be designed to meet the social, economic and environmental needs of the Twin Cities region and, most important, of the communities the line will run directly through. A coalition of community groups representing the east University Avenue neighborhoods of St. Paul has been advocating for changes to these federal criteria for years.
In his announcement, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff cited the Central Corridor as one of the prime examples of why this rule change is necessary, saying: "[The Central Corridor project] is specifically not building stations in a fashion that troubles us from a civil-rights perspective because it is not going [to] adequately serve the African-American community and the Asian community."
Transit advocates and community-based voices around the country are applauding the FTA decision. Back home, however, Metropolitan Council chairman Peter Bell's reaction was one of doom and gloom. He claims the new rules will make transit funding decisions more political and less objective. Unfortunately, his agency has at times underappreciated the needs of transit-dependent people living along University Avenue in favor of the needs of major institutions like the University of Minnesota and of pass-through commuters.
The great news for residents of the Central Corridor, as well as for people who live along future transitways such as the Southwest and Bottineau light-rail lines, is that the FTA's new evaluation formula could put decisions about our region's transit planning back in the hands of people who live and work here. It will allow local plans for new lines and stations to be influenced by our own environmental, community and economic-development priorities.
Suddenly, it matters how light rail enhances a local community. The FTA will now give equal weight to how a transitway connects people to employment opportunities, housing and other destinations -- and to how these investments lower harmful emissions and promote neighborhood livability. It's really about reconnecting our communities to these social and economic benefits, and less about simply moving people from point A to point B.
How will our next governor and the Met Council prepare our state to take full advantage of the new federal emphasis?
They can start by prioritizing projects that serve broad economic, social and environmental goals. Metropolitan areas across the country already have long-range plans that detail how their regions' investments will contribute to sustainable growth and livability.
