What regional transit advocates can learn from Chicago...

In response to this: "Virginia Transportation Funding Talks Die," from the front page of the Washington Post, September 29th, 2006.

One must lobby, such as this: "RTA enlists help in push for more funds: Agency hopes allies will help send message to state legislators." (Chicago Tribune) From the article:

In a major campaign to build broad support for increased public transportation funding, the Regional Transportation Authority has recruited more than 280 municipalities, civic organizations and agencies so far to lobby Illinois legislators, officials said Thursday."

This is the most comprehensive outreach effort that the RTA has ever conducted," Executive Director Steve Schlickman said. "In order to convey the message to the legislature, we have to show them we have the support for what we're trying to do. We have to show them that, yes, everyone wants that world-class transit system that the region deserves."

The list includes dozens of local governments, from Waukegan to Will County, and school districts. Other organizations include labor unions, chambers of commerce, and civic and environmental groups.

One of the things I am going to talk about during my presentation Tuesday night at the Action Committee for Transit monthly meeting in Silver Spring in Montgomery County, is my idea of an annual transit advocacy conference, alternating years between the Baltimore and Washington regions, with planning for legislative advocacy days in Annapolis and Richmond as well.

Also see the blog entry, "Main Street and getting schooled in politics, constituency building, and building support for your program."

Right now, legislators from around each state outside of the Northern Virginia (and outside of the Baltimore and Washington regions in Maryland) don't feel too connected to the transit issues of the major metropolitan areas.

We need to change the way they are thinking/not thinking about this.

Until we do so, our needs are held hostage.

Of course, one way to serve more areas is to begin pushing the idea of getting Maryland and Virginia to merge their railroad "commuter" railroad systems and create one "regional" railroad system.

Proposed Washington-Baltimore-Richmond Regional Railroad System
Concept © BeyondDC

The broad system as sketched out by Dan Malouff includes service to West Virginia (which MARC performs now), as far south as Richmond, and as far north as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

This would be an item on that broad transit advocacy agenda also.

Index Keywords: transit