Rep. Nate Walker talks about state transportation funding | Kirksville Daily Express

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There needs to be something done because this is not just a northeast Missouri problem, but a statewide problem. You look at the farm-to-market roads, you can look at Baltimore Street. Every little community has a Baltimore Street. You know I have one of the larger districts in the state and I have miles and miles of lettered and numbered routes that are getting three or four inches on each side deteriorating and if we’re not careful, in five or 10 years we will have single-lane roads instead for the farm-to-market roads.

The interstate system is a mess. There has been talk about tolling on the interstates but there seems to be opposition to that. Every so often we have a Blue Ribbon Commission to talk about funding and come up with solutions and yet nothing ever happens.

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Rep. Nate Walker talks about state transportation funding | Kirksville Daily Express

MoBikeFed comment: We and other bicycle, pedestrian, and trails groups across Missouri have been working together with transit organizations like CMT and MPTA to develop a joint strategy to address the transportation funding shortfall in Missouri--including the shortfall in funding for walking, bicycling, and transit.

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

But the facts show 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.