"Transit won big at ballot boxes across America on Tuesday, promising US communities billions in local support as federal dollars for shared modes fall under threat. Voters in communities as diverse as Yampa Valley, Colorado and Kalamazoo, Mich. all said yes to public transportation on Tuesday, approving billions in new funding for light rail, buses and more as well as establishing at least once new transit agency."
"The biggest piece of the pie came from Mecklenburg County, N.C., which passed a 1-percent sales tax increase that will generate an estimated $388 million per year for 30 years for shared modes - as well as billions more for road safety improvements, mostly in and around the city of Charlotte. (Though to be fair, it also included money for autocentric uses, which as Jeff Wood pointed out in the Overhead Wire, "was inserted by state Republicans who wouldn't allow a vote without it.")"
Voters in locations including Yampa Valley, Colorado and Kalamazoo, Michigan approved billions in new funding for light rail, buses, and other public transportation, and established at least one new transit agency. Mecklenburg County, North Carolina passed a 1-percent sales tax projected to raise about $388 million annually for 30 years for shared modes, plus additional funds for road safety around Charlotte. The measure contains some funding for automobile-oriented uses inserted by state Republicans. Some progressive groups raised concerns about displacement and whether the plan serves transit-reliant communities, while advocates argued the tax will expand light rail and streetcar service in historically marginalized communities.
Read at Streetsblog
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