Presidential Candidates Transpo Views

From the Tri-State Transportation Campaign blog.

What do the leading candidates have to say or not say about transportation issues?

My favorite perspective is Ron Paul's who says he won't ride the DC or NYC trains because they violate his libertarian principles. Hmmm, Ron, who do you think paid for all those highways? IDIOT. Some more sensible positions below:

Obama "is the only candidate to connect transportation and economic access. He identifies lack of adequate public transportation as a barrier to low-income people seeking work and highlights the disproportionate share of income they spend on transportation. Like Clinton and Edwards, he wants to see increased transportation funding but he goes further by seeking to incentivize bike and pedestrian measures. He also wants to reform the tax code to equalize the commuter pre-tax benefits for parking and transit riding (currently, employees can use up to $220/month in pre-tax income for parking, but only $115/month for transit)."

Hillary "wants to increase federal funding for public transit by $1.5 billion per year. She mentions principles inherent in a smart growth approach to land use as she vows to encourage a shift away from commercial developments towards urban centers that balance residential, commercial, and transportation needs. She correctly points out that this will help discourage sprawl and fight congestion while also increasing mobility options for the elderly. She wants to invest an additional $1 billion in intercity passenger rail systems as this mode is a 'critical component of the nation’s transportation system.'"

Edwards "will 'support more resources” to encourage greater mass transit use amongst workers and will encourage more affordable and environmentally sound transportation alternatives.'"

A few hard numbers from Barack and Hil, more rhetoric from Edwards.