This post is by EWG's media intern Sameem.
Right on the heels of gas price hype and a housing crisis, we’re finally being presented with legislation that at least acknowledges the need for a more thorough transit planning.
On July 15, Representative Blumenauer of Oregon introduced the Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008 into the House. Despite lacking a snazzy name, the bill puts forward some big steps in getting federal attention to transit and planning issues around the country.
In the grand scheme of things, perhaps one of the most influential parts of the legislation is its support for “location-efficient†housing developments. As I mentioned in my last post, only 1 in 5 households in the US are transit accessible. In addition to expanding transit to existing developments, the bill aims to create, maintain, support, and grow communities around existing transit friendly areas. It proposes that mortgage lenders, namely Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, be given specific goals for granting mortgages to properties that are location-efficient. The bill also proposes more grants for developers who want to build affordable housing near transit.
So now you’ve got your fancy location-efficient residence, and you can hop on to transit and get anywhere you want, right? Probably not. To fill in the gaps in transit systems, or to avoid them all together, more and more commuters are looking to bicycles to get around these days. The bill seeks to spur this on by enticing potential cyclist and their employers with a modest increase in tax credits. Of course an increase in cycle traffic will call for a massive adjustment in road planning, for the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike. This readjustment will call for more work and money.
And this is where the bill needs to shine most. In order for all these fancy pieces to fit together, this bill has the potential to reform the way federal money is spent on transportation. Instead of giving priority to highway construction, a reform in transportation spending should help localities.
We’ll keep our eyes on this bill as it makes its way through house committees and onward.
Photo by Striatic.