As most of the world looks to diminish greenhouse gases and curb vehicle use, President Bush was more interested in transferring $3.2 billion dedicated to mass transit into the Highway Trust Fund. The U.S. federation of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) voiced their displeasure in a recent press release.

From PIRG:

With more than 10 billion trips taken annually, the growth rate of public transportation has outpaced the growth rate of the population and vehicle miles traveled on our nation’s roads over the past decade. According to a Zogby poll released last month, a majority of Americans (53%) say they would use mass transit if it were easily available where they live and work. Forty-seven percent (47%) of those who travel alone by car to work hold the same opinion.

America’s economic competitors such as Europe, Japan and China have invested heavily in high-speed rail which connects population centers and avoids the need for expensive airport and highway expansion. Bush’s budget would cut the budget of Amtrak, the country’s major intercity rail network by about 40 percent ($525 million dollars) from its current levels.

PIRG followed up with an article on their website strengthening the call for More & Better Transit.

In spite of Bush's admission of an addiction to oil and his ramblings about allegedly-eco home-grown solutions like ethanol, his policies cater towards the oil, auto, and now unsustainable corn mega-farm industries. When will the US transportation policy actually focus on improving the nation's transportation rather than Exxon's (and the Bush's) bottom line?

Photo via flickr by {platinum}.

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