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Ohioans for Transportation Choice

Alliance for Regional Transit – Cincinnati

The People’s Department of Transportation

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Ohio Transportation Budget• Transportation budget expected on Feb. 6• Biennial: FY 2014 & FY 2015• Roughly $8 billion for two years • State gas tax and motor-vehicle fees are

prohibited by Ohio Constitution to go towards anything but roads and highways

• Federal transportation funds are more flexible• Transportation budget typically moves fast

through the legislature

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Why the State’s Transportation Budget Matters • Ohio’s transportation system is the direct result of

decisions made on how we allocate state transportation dollars.

• For decades, Ohio has underinvested in public transit and other transportation options.

• Nearly all of our transportation dollars go towards road, highway and bridge projects

• 1% of state transportation funds went to public transit in previous budget (FY 2012/13)

• Ohio ranks 47th in the nation for its commitment to public transit, despite being the 7th most populous state.

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As a result, it is difficult to get by without a car • Cars are expensive to own, operate, and maintain, and

rely heavily on polluting fossil fuels imported from elsewhere.

• For middle-income families, the costs of driving represents up to 20 percent of basic family budgets. For low-income Ohioans, the cost of driving can be prohibitively expensive. For the elderly and persons with disabilities, driving may not be an option at all.

• Ohioans spent $45 billion on energy in 2010 (10% of the gross state product), half of that fuelled cars and trucks.

• 98% of oil is imported from out of state or out of country. • Roughly ¼ of emissions come from transportation

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Ohioans need more transportation choices

• To reduce our vulnerability to spikes in oil price• To offer more affordable, accessible, safe, and

environmentally-friendly options • Make our transportation system more economically

sustainable, and reduce the amount of energy dollars leaving our state each year to purchase oil

• Reduce emissions from the transportation sector • Investments to create a network of alternative

transportation choices will also spur economic development, employ people, reduce urban sprawl and congestion, and create more livable communities

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Ohioans for Transportation Choice

• Calling on the state to create a “Transportation Choice” Fund.

• Set aside $75 million each year in flexible federal funding out of the state’s transportation budget

• Can be used for alternative transportation options such as public transit, infrastructure for biking, walking, and electric vehicles, passenger and freight rail, and streetcars.

• Ramp up Transportation Choices funding to 10% of the transportation budget by 2020.