INDIANAPOLIS - In light of traffic congestion, high gasoline prices and pollution concerns, Indiana should take a hard look at mass transit in addition to highways and toll roads, House Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday.
Transportation experts from federal, state and local levels testified for hours Wednesday about the virtues and drawbacks of mass transit.
William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, told lawmakers only one in four U.S. households has access to any form of public transportation.
"They can't use what they don't have," Millar testified.
The two Democratic-led House committees, Environmental Affairs and Roads and Transportation, held the joint hearing Wednesday on mass transit. Witnesses told them that in contrast to other states, Indiana lags somewhat behind in mass-transit access. Many Indiana cities do have bus services, and the South Shore commuter railroad traverses northern Indiana, they noted.
Last year the South Shore had more than 4 million passengers, the most since 1957, said Gerald Hanas, general manager of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. "America needs good highways, good roads and good bridges. Absolutely," Millar testified. "I would simply argue that in addition, it needs good public transportation as well."
The two House committees watched a presentation about mass-transit options in other cities: Bus-rapid-transit in Cleveland and Eugene, Ore.; light rail in Pittsburgh and Portland, Ore.; and streetcars in Portland and Tampa, Fla.
For its part, the Indiana Department of Transportation said it is interested in public transportation, but it's a question of available funding. Mass transit projects can be expensive and roads sometimes are the best option, INDOT chief of staff Gil Viets told lawmakers. "We have to base conclusions on practical considerations," Viets testified.
Viets emphasized the economics of building a light-rail route could pose real financial risks. If it were a fixed route and passengers had few alternatives in their stops, what if they choose not to ride it, he asked.
House Roads chairwoman Rep. Terri Austin said the state should focus on public transportation. "I am concerned about a lack of progressive movement in these areas by our state. I know that with limited resources, we have tough choices to make," said Austin, D-Anderson. "Maybe the state Legislature needs to play a more active role with INDOT in helping to advance the discussion."
Rep. Ryan Dvorak, House Environmental Affairs chairman, said he was frustrated by what he called the lack of "integrated" planning in transportation and land use. "And we have the structure that we have now, where it's almost impossible to come up with funding for a project, because it was dedicated to different (initiatives)," said Dvorak, D-South Bend.
Next week, Austin's committee will hear Senate Bill 105, which would require INDOT to conduct a feasibility study of a commuter rail system from Muncie to Indianapolis. The state Senate now has a bill Austin authored, House Bill 1659, that would require INDOT to commission six regional studies on mass transit - including one for Southwest Indiana - and would establish a mass transit legislative study committee.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.