Increase the investment in Missouri's roads and bridges : STLToday editorial

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You get what you pay for. Missouri’s roads and bridges exemplify that adage and not in a good way. Our state ranks 46th in per-mile road maintenance and it shows, as 22 percent of roads are in poor condition and 23 percent of our bridges are in need of repair. It’s time for our state lawmakers to increase investment in transportation, so that we are not forced to make tough choices.

This is an opportune time for the Show-Me State to take action: Gas prices are low, at the federal level the first multi-year surface transportation bill was passed in over a decade in December, and Missouri’s transportation network is in need of repairs, especially after last month’s flooding.

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Increase the investment in Missouri's roads and bridges : STLToday editorial

MoBikeFed comment: Missouri is facing a crisis in highway funding--one far more serious than most citizens in Missouri realize.

But the crisis is deeper than that: The crisis in state transit and pedestrian/bicycle funding in Missouri is even worse than the highway funding crisis.

Meeting with legislators and MoDOT leaders in Jefferson City this legislative session, we have been taking this message:

Missouri's dramatic underinvestment in transit, walking, and bicycling harms the ability of communities across the state to compete in today's global marketplace

• Missouri ranks 44th of the 50 states in public transportation funding.

• Missouri spend just 9 cents per capita on public transportation funding; our bordering states average $2.85 per capita (excluding Illinois, which spends $66.30 per capita).

• Missouri provides no state transportation funding for walking or bicycling.

• People in every Missouri county depend on public transportation, walking, and bicycling for access to vital jobs, school, and medical care. This is an issue for communities large and small; urban, suburban, and rural.

• Transportation options that meet the needs of all citizens are vital for a strong economy and the public health.

• As a far outlier state in state funding for public transportation, walking, and bicycling, Missouri harms its economy and drives talent and business to more competitive states.

Transportation means a lot more than just highways. Support a comprehensive solution to state transportation funding that meets the needs of all Missourians.