As gas prices rise, DOT is on your side

Gas prices have jumped above four dollars a gallon for regular in some parts of the country, and everyone is feeling the pinch.  Driven by the pain of a $40 or $50 fill-up at the pump, many Americans are finding ways to save, and the Department of Transportation is working hard to make sure you have even more options.

One sure sign of a rise in gas prices is increased transit ridership, and the North County Transit District in North San Diego County, CA, has just reported such a spike.  NCTD's Breeze bus system recorded 157,336 boardings from March 27 through April 2, a 14 percent rise over the 137,694 boardings during the same week in 2010.  In March, ridership on their Coaster commuter train was also nearly 14 percent above the March 2010 number. 

North County's Coaster takes commuters alongside the Pacific Ocean

Demand has risen so high on the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System's express route, the MTS has added extra trips to boost existing service.  Both transit agencies have benefited from Federal Transit Administration grants in recent years to help expand service and maintain a state of good repair.

In Alaska's Mat-Su Valley, daily commutes to Anchorage can cost drivers upward of $400 a month in gas alone.  In families with two commuters driving separately, we're talking about $800 a month.  So Palmer and Wasilla commuters are rediscovering the buses and vanpools offered by area transit programs like Valley Mover, Share-A-Ride and Mat-Su Community Transit.  Wasilla resident Michael Gilbert uses the Share-A-Ride vanpool and saves more than $400 a month.

That savings is one reason the Obama Administration has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to support dozens of projects in communities like Wasilla and Palmer around the country.   For example,in Utah we're using our New Starts program to support the Weber County to Salt Lake City Commuter Rail project. For drivers who travel the length of this 44-mile corridor each way in their daily commmutes, the fuel bill alone can easily top $500 each month, and transit offers families a way to put some of that money back into their wallets.

And in Phoenix, residents have shown that if you build transit, riders will come.  After a surge in ridership and billions in economic development, neighboring cities like Tempe and Mesa in Arizona are hoping to realize the same success and are seeking $38 million in the President’s 2012 budget to add transit options.  This will save thousands of Arizonans gas-price pain and will help create jobs.

Amtrak Zephyr in Illinois

Amtrak is also reporting increased ridership.  Nationwide, ridership has grown nearly six percent in the past six months, but some routes have experienced double-digit growth over the same period last year, with Chicago-St. Louis ridership up nearly 12 percent and Chicago-Carbondale up nearly 15 percent.

That shows that travelers are reponding to our efforts to support rail projects that reduce trip times and provide a greener alternative to driving or flying.

One factor behind the rising numbers of transit riders is job growth.  With the economy heating up, more and more commuters are heading to work.  And for those who choose to drive, these investments will reduce congestion on our roads and make us less susceptible to spikes in demand for oil.

We're also working to make sure drivers have alternatives to the increasingly expensive gasoline pump. DOT grants have helped develop Electric Vehicle technology to make these new cars go farther between charges with less expensive batteries. Our support of charging stations will help solve one of the most difficult challenges of this new technology--making sure drivers have a place to recharge.  And we're fostering hydrogen fuel-cell technologies to help that promising approach take root.

All of our partners, whether transit agencies or battery-makers, can help Americans beat the pain they've been feeling at the pump lately.  And the Obama Administration is looking forward to continuing these efforts so people have the options they need.

Comments

[Kathy K.]

"the pinch of $40 - $50 to fillup" - HA! Try $99+! The only thing that is going to beat the pain at the pump is lower gas prices, fewer taxes, less government involvement. I'd love to take public transit to work - only there is no public transit conveniently running from my neighborhood to the industrial park where I work 15 miles away. Not unless I want to turn a 25 minute commute into a 190 minute epic journey. SOrry, but time is money, and I'd be wasting more of both hoping 3-4 buses to and from. Let's work towards some practical solutions like mandatory "at home" work days. This is the digital age - why are we driving to cubicles everyday whn there's video chat and conference calling?????

[Donald Tisthammer]

Using gas prices as a way to promote mass transit and high speed rail is fine but let's not forget what high gas prices to do retail costs, sales tax, roads, and more?

How these facts can be in the news everyday and the DOT still focus on on ething only, no transproation bill, Congress wasting time on a budget they haven't really addressed and never will i amazing?!

Does anybody watch the news, retailers are raing prices to pay fuel surcharges, motor carriers going broke, driver shortage, equipment shortage, and it will contionue to stall economic recovery unless President Obama, Congress, Senate, the DOT, and every state address the waste in freight transportation?

The rising cost of everything we buy isn't going to go down because millions of peopl eget on buses and trains, sales tax will continue to rise with the cost of goods, roads and bridges still need to be repaired, and adding cost of high speed rail, buses, and other Tiger Grants to our debt is a wash, not a fix.

Use waste reduced in freight transportation, promote energy independence, reducing deadhead miles, traffic congestion, infrastructure costs, emissions, accidents, health care costs, and create jobs and we might get ahead of the game, allow economic recovery?

If President Obama. Congress, DOT and the rest of DC would listen to working class people who know transportation we could get this done using 21st century IT?

The only reason I can imagine DC refuses to listen is they are deliberately breaking working class so as to promote mass transoit and hand freight transportation to corporate contributors as they have every other business in America!

[Dan Kaufman]

I would love to hear more about what the DOT is doing to promote bicycling and walking. In many areas it is not even feasible for folks to walk across the street.

These days you hear a lot of talk about budget restraints, public health, pollution, and energy independence so I was surprised not to hear one mention of the cost-effective human-powered transportation solutions in President Obama's energy speech.

[Microfinance]

As of this moment, crude oil is $91.70 a barrel which is down 49 cents from yesterday. Of course oil was in the $84 range a few days ago. If this crisis continues I think OPEC might start pumping more oil or the U.S. might tap the petroleum strategic reserves.

[Claire]

This is just pathetic. It is so sad how this DOT seems to cheer for high gas prices while cutting off access to American oil supplies. LaHood, were you ever really a Republican?

[Jack Zabrowski]

Dear Secretary LaHood

May I first say that I greatly appreciate how you have transformed the transportation world to accommodate everyone 8-80 years old and made them feel safe crossing the street by bringing attention to Complete Streets and Liveable neighborhoods?

I'm from La Crosse Wisconsin; I work as the Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator for the La Crosse County Health Department under a Communities Putting Prevention to Work Grant. I have been asked by our citizens and citizens across the river in Minnesota to contact you for help regarding an interstate bridge which is being built over the Mississippi connecting La Crosse WI. to La Crescent MN. We are having difficulty getting bicycle and pedestrian accommodations on the bridge. I know that these accommodations are important to the USDOT but it seems that the Wisconsin DOT, Minnesota DOT and FWHA haven't taken this policy to heart when desinging this bridge. Minnesota, Wisconsin and La Crosse County have all recently passed Complete Streets laws or policies but we have a bridge connecting us that doesn't take these laws into account.
Any assistance or guidance you could provide would be invaluable.

Thank you for all the amazing work you have done to date.

Jack Zabrowski
La Crosse County Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator