Mass Transit

Even in the unlikely event that federal subsidies for mass transit continue at their current levels, 35 of Pennsylvania's 41 public mass-transit systems will incur deficits by the end of the decade, according to a study released yesterday. In its study, the state Legislative Budget and Finance Committee said systems ranging in size from giant SEPTA, with an annual ridership of more than 366 million passengers, to the Borough of Pottstown, whose six buses serve about 300,000 riders, will finish fiscal 1990 in the red. The combined deficits of the 35 systems will total nearly $19 million, according to the report.

An attempt by two Philadelphia-area congressmen to restore $10.5 million in federal operating assistance to SEPTA, along with about $125 million in similar mass-transit subsidies around the country, was defeated last night by the House of Representatives. The effort came during floor debate on a massive transportation-funding bill, in the form of an amendment offered by U.S. Reps. Thomas M. Foglietta (D., Phila.) and Jon D. Fox (R., Montgomery County). It was defeated, 295-122.

O NE WOULD THINK Republican legislators had run out of excuses for refusing to address Pennsylvania's mass-transit- funding mess. Especially after Gov. Rendell presented a $562 million, two-year plan last week that covered nearly all their concerns. GOP legislative leaders whined that they wouldn't consider a dedicated funding bill for mass transit unless it included money for roads, highways and bridges. They got it: $355 million by locking in on the recent automatic increase in the oil-based franchise tax, paid for by drivers at the gasoline pump, and increases in driver and vehicle fees.

I agree with Joanne R. Denworth's assessment of the need to repair the state's highways and bridges (Guest Opinion, "Fix roads, but don't forget mass transit"), but I am concerned that she is also advocating that the state's motorists reach deeper into their pockets to fund mass transit systems most of them will never use. It may surprise many motorists to learn they already pay a great deal for mass transit. Motorists pay 18 cents federal tax at the gas pump, of which only 10 cents is used for highway maintenance.

It has now been 23 years since the federal government got into the urban mass transit business. During this period it has forked out more than $43 billion to metropolitan rail and bus lines. The result has been a colossal failure of social engineering and one of the most scandalous abuses of the taxpayer in our nation's history. Like so many projects by the federal government, subsidies for mass transit have failed to help their intended beneficiaries. Ridership on public transit has declined from 24 billion rides in 1947 to 9 billion in 1963 to 8 billion in 1985.

Mass transit operations in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey are slowly returning to normal, but lingering problems have caused some notable disruptions. SEPTA's subways, buses and trolleys are running again, but service has been suspended on the Cynwyd, Paoli/Thorndale, and Trenton Regional lines because of residual storm related problems. Service had been suspended on the Norristown line, but it was restored this afternoon. ( www.septa.org ) Amtrak trains are running between Philadelphia and Washington, but not between Philadelphia and Boston due to the extensive flooding, debris on tracks, and power problems as a result of Irene.

I was shocked and offended by Ted Leonard's complaint "Motorists subsidize mass transit" (Guest Opinion Jan. 5). Sure they do, and they should. All of us who drive foul the air and make noise, and some of us maim or kill other motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and ourselves. Shouldn't those of us who cause problems pay for the solution? And shouldn't Ted Leonard be glad that some people, through choice or economic necessity, continue to use public transportation? If all the people who get to work by means other than by private car suddenly started driving to work, he'd be sitting in traffic jams all the time.

The man picked by President Clinton to become the nation's top mass-transit official is a lifelong Philadelphian who grew up riding the Broad Street Subway and the Route 33 bus. State Rep. Gordon J. Linton, 45, a resident of West Mount Airy and an influential figure on transit issues in Pennsylvania for the past decade, was named this week to head the Federal Transit Administration in Washington, D.C. The post, still subject to confirmation by...

Future mass transit battles will not pit city against suburban interests. The people who live or work in the 'burbs are finally feeling the pinch. Route 202 traffic jams, for example, sometimes make the Schuylkill look like the region's only real expressway. Everyone agrees improving mass transit must be a top priority. There is less unanimity on solutions. But that's OK. SEPTA's call for an additional $5 billion investment in mass transit over the next decade should promote extensive debate.

ON DEC. 2, the city's two representatives on the SEPTA board vetoed a decision to raise the base fare to $3 a ride, which would be the highest in the nation. Fortunately, the two city reps have veto power though they only have two of 15 seats on the board. Unfortunately, the same rules allow that veto to be overridden by the rest of the suburban-dominated board on Dec. 16. The veto power is only symbolic. The veto is symbolic of the fact that those two SEPTA board members are there to represent Philadelphia, which contributes the highest subsidy of the five counties served by the authority and the highest portion of the authority's fare revenue.

I'VE GOT an idea. I'm calling it "The One-Thing Rule. " It works like this: Every year, our Legislature focuses on only one thing. It can't be an enormous thing, such as the overall economy. Too much of that is driven by national/international trends and events. It can't be an impossible thing, such as ending poverty or promising equal-opportunity public education regardless of ZIP code. That's like promising peace in the Middle East. And it has to be Pennsylvania specific.

Bob Edgar represented Pennsylvania for six terms in Congress, but his influence in the region and the country well exceeded his time in office. Edgar, who died of a heart attack Tuesday at the age of 69, was a man of seemingly endless energy, enthusiasm, and compassion. He headed the good-government group Common Cause, and earlier had served as president of the Claremont School of Theology in California, as secretary-general of the National Council of Churches, and as a Methodist minister.

One fall a decade ago, New Jersey's Democrats had themselves a problem. U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli had effectively exploded in the waning weeks of a reelection campaign, catapulting rich-guy Republican Doug Forrester from long shot to favorite as fast as you can say "severely admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee. " Not to worry: The Democratic bosses hatched a plan to clean up the mess. They got recently retired Sen. Frank Lautenberg (their third or fourth choice) to agree to replace his old nemesis "Torch" on the ballot, and the state Supreme Court, in Trenton's answer to Bush v. Gore , actually let them do it. And so Lautenberg, the unlikely white(-haired)

THERE ARE SILVER linings in Gov. Corbett's playbook. Namely, he has a new/old player on his side, and Pennsylvania is Pennsylvania. Allow me to explain. Forget for a moment Corbett's 26 percent approval rating. Polls are snapshots. It's a long way to 2014. Incumbents not named Rick Santorum are hard to unseat. And, critically for Corbett, Pennsylvania is "The Land of Low Expectations. " It's a place where pols call the passing of an annual budget on time an "achievement.

With more and more roads leading back to Pennsylvania's transportation funding crisis these days, Gov. Corbett and Harrisburg lawmakers should be finding their way to a solution - and soon. They have one possible route already: Corbett's own advisory panel last year charted a nearly painless course of raising driver fees and the wholesale gas tax to bring in $2.5 billion more for highways, bridges, and mass transit. The governor is on record as well that something must be done to meet deferred maintenance, which has left the state with crumbling roads, deteriorating bridges, and SEPTA and other mass transit systems across the state having to scale back on key upgrades.

IN THE END, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, not the NBA, had the final say about the Brooklyn Nets' home opener at their new arena. The highly anticipated regular-season opener Thursday between the Nets and the New York Knicks at the $1 billion Barclays Center was postponed because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, Bloomberg announced Wednesday. "Mayor Bloomberg informed us this afternoon that after further analysis of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy that he felt it was in the best interests of the city of New York, the teams and our fans that we postpone the Knicks-Nets game scheduled for Thursday night," NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

By Frank Kummer With the exception of New Jersey Transit, most local mass transit systems are beginning to run smoothly after days of shut-downs and delays from Sandy. SEPTA ( www.septa.org ) is up and running, as is its regional rail line. The Trenton Line trains, which saw significant delays this morning, are running on or close to schedule. Riders on the Lansdale/Doylestown Line should till expect delays of up to 15 minutes due to signal problems - but that's down significantly.

Americans would love to have more public transit. Unless they have to pay for it. A survey released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a Washington environmental-advocacy group that is pro-transit, found Americans favored more local government spending on buses, trains, and light rail by a wide ratio: 68 percent to 25 percent. The support was even higher in the Philadelphia suburbs: Pollsters found Bucks and Montgomery County respondents favored more local spending on transit by a ratio of 82 percent to 13 percent.

Americans would love to have more public transit. Unless they have to pay for it. A survey released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council, a Washington environmental advocacy group that is pro-transit, found that Americans favored more local government spending on buses, trains and light rail, by a wide margin: 68 percent to 25 percent. The support was even higher in suburban Philadelphia. Pollsters found Bucks and Montgomery County residents favored more local spending on transit by a margin of 82 percent to 13 percent.

High gas prices and the changing habits of young people are driving a shift toward mass transit that could influence budget battles in Washington and state capitals. Nationwide last year, buses, subways, and trains had their second-highest ridership since 1957 - behind only 2008, when the price of gas topped $4 a gallon. Locally, SEPTA, NJ Transit, and PATCO all report increased ridership. Amtrak, which last week said it carried 3.7 percent more passengers in the six months that ended in March than in the same period a year earlier, appears headed for its ninth national ridership record in 10 years.