As Sacramento’s nearly $3.4 billion in cuts to California transit agencies over the past three years begin to take their toll, the California Transit Association has created an interactive “Aftermath” map of what’s happening on the ground.  Despite overwhelming support for public transit among Californians, our leaders in Sacramento have taken no noticeable action to address this crisis.

The map outlines how agencies have responded to cuts in the State Transportation Assistance (STA) Program:

Since its creation in the early 1970s, the STA program had been the only ongoing source of state funding dedicated specifically for day-to-day transit operations (although, STA funds were also available for capital expenditures). California is now one of only 13 states that does not provide any state program funding specifically for transit operations.

Over the past three fiscal years, STA cuts alone have totaled $1.97 billion.

View STA Program Aftermath in a larger map

The map lays out in painful detail what readers of this blog already know: fare hikes and service cuts are the order of the day.  Zoom in and click on the pins to find out what’s happening in your neck of the woods.

This just in: the Regional Targets Advisory Committee, a body of planners, environmentalists, and other experts convened to recommend the framework for implementing California’s groundbreaking land use and climate bill, SB 375, has also spoken to the importance of transit in a recent report.  To wit, they recommend action to

Address the discontinuity between the elimination transit funding in the budget and mandates of SB 375. Public transit is a key tool in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The state of California has approved mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but has eliminated funding for public transit in the state budget. The state should ensure that its budgets are consistent with its policies on greenhouse gas reductions.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.