THE NEED FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION
By: Steve Ortman

At a neighborhood association meeting the other night I was discussing the consequences of transportation decisions that favored building more and wider roads over a more balanced approach that includes public transit improvements. A gentleman in the crowd said, "About 10 years ago, or so, they told us the solution to traffic congestion on US 280 was to widen it from 4 lanes to 6." Well? Look around. Is traffic on US 280 looking any better out there? Didn't think so. While you're at it, go ahead and take a spin on I-65 some evening, or US 31, or I-20/59, or...well you get the point.

A great discussion is beginning to bubble up all around the community over the need for an effective public transportation system in the Birmingham metropolitan area. Recent letters to the editor have focused attention on this forgotten component of the transportation network in the region.

Citizens of the Birmingham metropolitan area are becoming aware that a serious imbalance exists in our regional transportation system. People are starting to understand the problems of approaching transportation with a one-size-fits-all solution that relies solely upon more and wider roads. Additionally, people seem prepared to discuss the role of public transit in the overall development of an effective and efficient transportation system for the region.

The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC) is coordinating a study, funded by a number of local communities, to investigate transit options that range from improved bus service to light rail systems. The study will assess whether a regional public transit system can reduce dependence on the automobile and improve air quality. These transit improvements may also define an alternative to the continuing pattern of sprawl development, which increases the cost of infrastructure extensions, reduces open space, and exacerbates traffic congestion.

It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of the challenge to our community. According to the 2000 US Census, Birmingham is the 55th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. However, the region ranks as the fourth highest in daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita. This means that an average family of four-with a per capita VMT of slightly over 34 miles per day-logs a staggering 136 miles per day. Thus, we drive as much as people in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Houston. Why? (Our more-and-wider-roadways approach to transportation systems planning and the sprawl development that it generates virtually require automobile travel to carry out our daily lives).

Communities around the country are realizing the benefits of a balanced transportation system that provides effective, efficient public transportation as a real alternative to the automobile, especially at rush hour. This balanced system can enhance overall community and individual mobility, especially outside of rush hour. Additionally, scientific studies have shown benefits to individual health and well-being (the "road-rage" thing) and overall quality of life in communities that offer choices in how and where people live and how they travel. The community needs to recognize that population growth in Shelby County will continue. Some 100,000 residents will be added over the next twenty years. How many more US 280's or US 31's will be required to accommodate all this extra traffic? What will it cost, both financially and environmentally, to build such additional infrastructure? Could it even be done given the local geography?

A balanced transportation system will require extraordinary efforts. We need to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that public transportation has become an afterthought in this community. Compared to metropolitan areas of our size, Birmingham ranks dead last (by a substantial margin) in the size and funding for public transportation. Quadrupling the existing transit system budget from $12 to $50 million, would make it an "average" sized system compared with comparable cities. So the first order of business is to get our financial house in order if public transit is ever going to be viable.

Towards this end, Senator Richard Shelby has secured $87 million for the Birmingham area from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration. These funds could support the next step of growth for our transit system. Our challenge: come up with nearly $22 million in local dollars to match the federal funds (20% must come from local or state coffers). So we are in the enviable position of having an opportunity to "leverage" $22 million into approximately $105 million. This would be a huge first step to improving our public transportation system, and the return on our money is substantial.

We also need to re-think the way we develop our communities and the role
transportation plays in shaping community development. For years we have constructed our residential, commercial, and institutional spaces as if land, utilities, and transportation infrastructure were infinite resources. We now know they are not. It is costly to extend utilities and public services for low-density development over a two-county metro area. These costs are becoming apparent to elected officials and to us who pay the bills.

Our current zoning in the Birmingham region has tended to separate different land uses, which in turn tends to cause our communities to spread out. Returning to more concentrated development and allowing for mixed-use development will reduce sprawl, vehicle miles traveled, and the costs of infrastructure. An example of this type of mixed-use environment exists in communities such as Homewood, with its Edgewood Shopping District adjacent to (and within easy walking distance of) residential development; and Highlands, with a very pleasant mix of residential and commercial activities. It's no accident that these communities are viewed as highly desirable places to live. The intrinsic "livability" of these places provides additional tangible benefits. Transit can be a viable means for some people for some trips (but not all) and thus reliance on the auto for every trip is reduced. This "transit friendly" development pattern also provides for diverse and interesting places to live and work and an improved quality of life in the community.

The challenge before us is not to convince everybody to abandon their SUV's and get on a bus. For the time being, private automobiles will remain the most attractive and convenient way for most people to get around. However, if we gain a better understanding of the true individual and societal costs of our current approach to transportation planning, we will be better prepared to move towards a more balanced transportation system.

Recognizing today's fundamental imbalance in our existing transportation system and understanding how it affects community growth and sprawl is a tremendous step toward improving our community. If we recognize this imbalance and understand that many "quality of life" benefits can accrue from a more balanced approach, then perhaps the right things will begin to be done for the right reasons. And Birmingham will become an even more interesting and compelling place to live, work, and call home.


*What do you think? Feedback here.*

Feb. Headlines...

AMERICA'S NATIONAL SECURITY

THE NEED FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION

BUSH ECONOMIC PLAN: FOR RICHER, FOR POORER?

2003 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

VNN EXPANDS ITS ONLINE EDITION IN 2003

WATKINS MAY HELP CAROLINA SCHOOL

DONALD V. WATKINS' STATEMENT CONCERNING HIS PURSUIT OF A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL FRANCHISE

Print this issue here!