Show Us the Money! Part Two

Has anyone else noticed that waiting on the Lord, or at least His new envoy in the form of Barack Obama, increasingly seems to be the preferred strategy to deal with transportation funding and the budget crisis in general?

And the budget crisis isn’t a small one. The Washington Post reported yesterday that Maryland now faces a budget gap of $1.9 billion in a budget of $14 billion. Today's paper reports that Comptroller Peter Franchot has proposed tapping $367 million from a reserve fund, jeopardizing the State's AAA bond rating. Montgomery County is deep in the hole too, facing a gap of $450 million.

No wonder our political leaders feel the need to pray.

Still, an air of unreality pervades transportation discussions. Nowhere is this more true than the Purple Line. I've advocated for bus-rapid transit on the grounds that it provides the most bang for the buck among many other reasons. However, leaving aside the heated debates over modes and routes, I am still wondering how the State and the County intend to pay for any version of the Purple Line let alone other transportation needs.

I'm not alone in my curiosity. At the Planning Board hearing on the Purple Line, Commissioner Jean Cryor, a former member of the House of Delegates, asked Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-18) if he thought Montgomery could get funding for the Corridor Cities project as well as this one. The Senator pointed out that the Baltimore region would like to see its proposal for light rail funded and that it would take a gas tax increase of such a size that the room burst out in laughter at the absurdity of it.

And no, as much I think Barack Obama is marvelous and going to be an outstanding president--I supported him strongly in the primary and the general--I don't assume that the federal budget is endless and he can bail out everything. Even if the federal government largess somehow became so great as to fund not just one or two but three new light-rail systems in Maryland, we'd still have to pay a bundle.

Don't believe me? Just ask the nice folks across the river. The new Silver Line through Tysons is projected--note that word carefully--to cost $5.2 billion. The federal government is paying $900 million of the cost.

The good news is that members of the Montgomery County Council are not unaware of the problem. In an earlier post with the same title, Adam Pagnucco reported that County Councilmember and Transportation Committee Chair Nancy Floreen pressed State Transportation Secretary John Porcari on how large the County's share of the new transportation projects would be--a number that depends heavily on how much the State is willing to shell out.

Secretary Porcari couldn't answer Councilmember Floreen's excellent question because he has no more idea where the money will come from than the rest of us. Meanwhile, Montgomery has already committed to spend at least roughly $100 million for the elevator connection at Bethesda Metro, to rebuild what is left of the Georgetown Branch Trail, and for transit stations. And we don't even know if that will be all Montgomery has to pay for the project.

The bad news is that the County Council isn't too worried about its share of the cost despite the budget crisis. Apparently, they plan to vote unanimously to support the more expensive light rail option. Councilwoman Floreen will join them despite continuing concerns about the cost:

For developers and future passengers, light rail is commonly seen as "more snazzy," while bus rapid transit is often viewed as "a second-class system," said Montgomery County Council member Nancy Floreen (D-At Large), who chairs the council's transportation committee.

Although Floreen said she believes both systems can offer quality rides, "I do think for long-term permanence and reliability, light rail sends a different message to everybody. It's just a step below Metro. . . . I think we all agree on light rail. The question is: Can we get it done?

She'll be joined by Marc Elrich who is openly skeptical about the necessity or cost of light rail even though he staunchly favors an east-west link:

Montgomery council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large) said he thinks the debate has given short shrift to a state analysis that shows that buses in their own lanes and with priority at intersections "perform virtually identically to light rail."

"If you look at the difference in ridership and the amount of money, you have to ask yourself, 'Is [light rail] worth it?' " Elrich said.

Elrich said he would join his fellow council members in voting for light rail to show unanimous support for a Purple Line. He said the rest of the Montgomery council appears to favor light rail, which the Prince George's council has endorsed.

Leaving aside the interesting questions of why Montgomery is deferring to Prince George's on its transportation priorities and when was the last time the reverse occurred, I wonder where we'll find the money for Marc Elrich's vision for a countywide bus-rapid transit system or the Corridor Cities Transitway after we've devoted upwards of $100 million to the Purple Line. Or for that matter, what other items in the budget should be cut extra deep since we aren't exactly flush these days.

Again, however, the real question is how we can afford to pay for any new system--BRT, LRT, or even a token to get Charlie off the MTA--in the current fiscal climate. Even if President Obama (still fun to write that!) comes through with major help, we're still going to face serious cuts and the county will need to concentrate its resources on its core missions of public safety and education--Maryland does extremely well at the latter according to a recent report which suggests recent investments in education have paid off.

No agency better illustrates the disjuncture between the castles we are building in the air and fiscal reality than MTA itself. Yesterday, MTA Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld released an letter detailing reductions in MARC and Commuter Bus services because of the fiscal crisis. Yet, MTA presses onward with its proposals for three new transit systems even as it cannot maintain funding on our current infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Metro also faces a shortfall of $176 million in its budget of $1.3 billion for the upcoming year. Service cuts are expected here too:

"To close this $176 million gap, we propose to cut our projected expenses by $103 million," [Metro General Manager John] Catoe said. "Then, as a last resort we are proposing $73 million in service cuts."

Transportation undoubtedly remains a major issue and problem in Montgomery County. However, no one has explained how we can build more of it even as we cannot maintain existing services--a problem not limited to just transit as the recent water main break on aptly named River Road highlighted. Additionally, these major projects will almost certainly tie up all of the County's transportation funds for years (decades?) to come, forcing the County to forego other transportation improvements. Show us the money!