In October, I was excited to attend a Transit and Planning Summit hosted by the Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club in Baton Rouge.
It was truly an enjoyable day with nearly 100 public transit advocates, leaders, environmentalists, and business folks. We had great speakers: Beth Osborne, of Transportation for America, gave an inspiring address, followed by excellent speakers who shared their transit visions for Louisiana, along with challenges; Representative McFarland (R) discussed transit needs of his rural parishes and offered solutions.
This is clear: multimodal transit is possible in Louisiana, from rail to bus to bike to walk and yes, cars. Significantly, stars have aligned for it to happen now. Funding is available; federal, state, and local support is available. The state needs to act, apply for available funding, and support our communities.
Passenger rail lines in Northern Louisiana and from Baton Rouge to New Orleans can help us fulfill our transit goals. Yet, both Governor Edwards and Secretary of Transportation Shawn Wilson have delayed applying for Federal Government funds, doing nothing to make Louisiana passenger rail a reality, nor bringing us closer to a statewide transit network. Instead, they waste billions of dollars on a bridge and I-10 widening that does nothing to improve lives.
The week before the summit, I was visiting my daughter in London. From the moment my plane touched down to the moment I left, we explored the city without once stepping into a car. It was joyous and freeing. Seeing this as possible in our own state gives hope for a connected and thriving Louisiana.
We could invest in something that would make a difference. If they don’t think it’s a great idea to invest in Louisiana’s transit system, then we have a bridge to sell them.