Becker, congressional committee talk transit

If the United States is serious about curbing greenhouse gas emissions, the federal government must help local leaders provide residents with transit options, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker testified before a congressional committee Tuesday.

"People want walkable and livable communities," Becker told members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in Washington, D.C. "They want other modes of transportation. They don't like being caught in congestion. … And we can offer good choices and alternative modes."

Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood and Portland Metro Council President David Bragdon, among others, joined Becker in testifying about the role of transportation in reducing greenhouse emissions Tuesday afternoon.

"Our nation cannot successfully address climate change without reforming our transportation system," Bragdon said. "We cannot successfully reform our transportation system without changing the way communities are designed."

With about a third of greenhouse gases in the United States coming from transportation, Becker stressed the need to cut back on vehicle miles traveled.

That means improved mass transit and better-designed communities, he said.

"It's not that people don't want to use transit or don't want to bike," Becker told the committee. "I think people do, but we have to provide it. And that means a shift in what we invest in."

While "most Oregonians get around by car," he said, greenhouse gas emissions in Portland, Ore., are staying steady or dropping because of transit options.

Becker touted Salt Lake City's efforts to increase the number of bike lanes, build light-rail lines and complete the nation's first comprehensive land-use sustainability ordinance.

And while he said the differences between Portland and Salt Lake City might be vast, Bragdon said, "Our approach on this issue is nearly identical."

Becker and Bragdon asked senators for help in providing a means to achieve those goals. Often, Bragdon said, cities are "pushing against federal policies."

Bragdon said he would like to see the federal government give municipalities more flexibility in spending — the chance to use interstate funds for rail transit, for instance.

Becker, meanwhile, asked senators for help in streamlining the arduous process of approving streetcar systems. Salt Lake leaders are eyeing the possible creation of three streetcar routes (in Sugar House, around downtown and north to Davis County) over the next five years, the mayor said.

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