Dedicated Funding for Metro Now, Before Another Disaster Occurs!

For years, many of us have been urging that the Metro system received not just sufficient funding, but a dedicated source of reliable funding, so that the system doesn't have to cut corners and generally run itself in an absurd, hand-to-mouth manner. Unfortunately, as is often the case with human nature, it apparently takes a tragedy to get people's attention on stuff like this. Well, now we've had one, including the death of 9 people. Sadly, this was both predictable and avoidable. And sadly, the best we can do now for the people who died (and their families, friends, and colleagues) is to move forward. Here's Robert McCartney in today's Washington Post:

Sadly, it's taken Monday's tragic Red Line crash to focus public attention on the fact that the region's political class, and the federal government, have shortchanged Metro for a decade despite repeated, reasonable pleas from the transit system that it needed urgent help.

Now, the region's elected officials must take responsibility for persuading the public to make necessary hard choices. The area must either ante up hundreds of millions of tax dollars a year, on top of what it's already providing, or let Metro raise fares and reduce service, or both. Otherwise, the system will risk deteriorating from being a source of regional pride to one of disappointment.

[...]

What's important now, after mourning the dead, is to look ahead. There's no good alternative to renovating Metro, given the need to reduce traffic and greenhouse gases, and to move around the 2 million new residents that the region is expected to attract by 2030...

McCartney then lists steps we need to take, including "Lock in the dedicated funding," "Find still more money," "Fix the Metro board," and "Support [Metro General Manager John B.] Catoe, with caveats." I couldn't agree more. I'd add that we need to stop treating Metro as anything less than a top priority of this entire region. We need to ditch the political rhetoric about how much we all love Metro and start putting our money where our politicians' mouths are. If we don't do this, not only are we cruising for more disastrous bruisings like this week's tragedy, but we're also talking about a Metro system that fails to keep up with population growth and the urgent need to give people attractive alternatives to their cars. It's now or never, guys, time to "lead, follow, or get out of the way!"

P.S. For a statement from the Washington Metro Area’s Senate and House Delegation, see the comments section of this post.