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Transit Financing at a Crossroads

By John Swanson

As a regional planner, early in my career, I witnessed the birth of the Regional Transportation Authority for the Chicago metropolitan area.  Now, I'm seeing similar machinations over the Regional Transportation Authority of Lake County.  Fortunately, strong regional leadership persevered to make the Northeastern Illinois RTA a reality in the mid-1970's, and I hope for such perseverance in northwest Indiana. 

Suffice it to say, our transportation system is just as linked to the future wellbeing of this region.  I say this for these reasons:   
   1)  Northwestern Indiana and its transportation needs are changing;
   2)  Transit service is integral to the overall effectiveness of our residents and   
        businesses;
   3)  We must fund a mechanism capable of meeting both the short and long term 
        transit needs of our three-county region.

As the Indiana General Assembly struggles over this issue, it may be helpful to remember this important fact:  Transportation explains much of what has happened in northwest Indiana in the past and transportation must be able to respond to the evolving nature of our region overall.  And here is the most important point:  We must not only look at what is on the ground now, but what is going to be needed in the near future.

Today, more people are moving into this region.  Employers need to be able to expand or invest in new businesses.  Our population is aging, which will call for transportation options.  In fact, the changes taking place in the region are perhaps as dramatic as those that occurred in the 1980's when thousands of steel jobs were lost.  Since the 1990's, employment is up by nearly 6%.  Population has increased by more than 4%.  Even more dramatic is that one out of six workers now cross the state line to get to their jobs, an increase of 110% over 20 years ago!  Add 20,000 housing permits since the last census five years ago.

Clearly, the region is changing and so are our transit needs.  Significantly, the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) has just developed a proposed regional transportation plan for the next thirty years.  It's called "Connections 2030."  Unlike the previous plan, where rail extension was only mentioned, this plan calls for the development of the "Westlake Corridor," a proposal for providing commuter rail service between downtown Chicago and Munster, with service then splitting off to both Valparaiso and Lowell.

No, the plan does not identify a funding mechanism, but it makes the assumption that this economic engine is so significant that our leadership will identify a means to fund it.  The federal government typically funds up to 50% of a project of this scale.  The remainder must be found from a local source.  Through the leadership efforts of Congressman Peter J. Visclosky, funds have been raised from our towns, cities and counties for the initial environmental engineering study.  But a significant and sustainable funding source must be found if these rail extensions are to happen.

Extended commuter rail is important, and so is bus transportation.  Fixed, flexible and demand response systems will be needed.  But instead of larger buses, we anticipate smaller buses and circulator routes within communities to serve urban, as well as suburban, communities, including shuttles for rail service.  Interconnectivity will become extremely important, if our transit services are to be able to respond to the diverse mobility needs of our current and future residents.

The Regional Transportation Authority is the logical agency to oversee and guide our transportation needs.  However, its funding is inadequate for the scale of dollars needed for operating and capital needs.  The RTA cannot stand still.  Our state legislators must continue to search for consensus so that we can meet our region's changing transportation needs, now and for the future.

John Swanson is Executive Director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) in Portage.  NIRPC will host the next Indiana MPO Annual Conference at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, October 3-5, 2005.