... the U.S. Congress is prepared to use "stimulus" to build more roads. Here is a letter from a constituent to Jim Gerlach, Pennsylvania C0ngressman:
You can use the CalPirg site to send your comments to your Congressperson.I appreciate your past support of public transportation and your concern about the TARP spending. Now I understand that Congress will vote on an economic recovery package that bows to the highway lobby by allocating 75% of transportation funding to build NEW roads. Please reconsider that allocation. Use transit expenditures to repair our roads and bridges and then use the rest to upgrade public transit. As our population ages we will become more dependent on Public transportation. We do not really want to compete with the Trucks on the highway. The population of the USA has more than doubled since I first learned to drive and the Auto is much less of a convenience. Parking lots mar our landscape. Runoff from roadways pollutes our Rivers and Streams. Our rural areas are covered with asphalt hills from expended roads.I lived in Germany for 6 months and never needed an Auto. The city was much nicer without them. Less noise and congestion in the city center. There were small shops where I could pick up whatever groceries I needed when I stepped off the subway to walk to my apartment. Here in the USA we are forced to incur the dangers and expense of owning a car.Please - We need a change of direction in our development of transportation
