Transportation reform

Re the Feb. 1 letter from the chair of the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust, Get moving on transportation improvements: Unfortunately, the county’s public-transit hopes are saddled by political control, imbedded in the CITT’s legislative creation.

The CITT is neither independent nor a trust. Its members are beholden to the county commissioners who appoint them, and it has no jurisdiction over the proceeds of the half-cent transit tax enacted in 2002.

Legislative reform must include the cancellation of the 20 percent of annual tax proceeds that go to the county’s cities. These funds are mostly used for roadwork, not for public transit. There must also be a political willingness to increase fares in order to meet federal requirements for a guaranteed source of operational funding.

Funding priority must go to projects integral to the original and still valid long-range People’s Transportation Plan: envisioning a true countywide system of speedy Metrorail extensions, connecting to surface light rail and buses, accessible to the majority of commuters, instead of short-term political palliatives.

This story was originally published February 5, 2015 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Transportation reform."