80% of Americans choose repairs, transit over new roads

Where stimulus funds should go

Wendy Natt, Jan 16, 09.

Most Americans - 80 percent - would prefer for Congress to direct federal stimulus dollars toward road and bridge repair and investment in public transportation, rather than highway expansion and construction of new roads, says a news release from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and transit advocacy group Transportation for America. This statement is based on data from the 2009 Growth and Transportation Survey, sponsored by both organizations and conducted in early January 2009.

Eighty percent of those surveyed said they wanted “stimulus investments to not only create jobs, but also help the goals of reducing oil dependency, improving the environment and increasing transportation options, even if the job creation took longer,” while twenty percent said that stimulus funds should be used for only “road and bridge projects that can be started right away and create an immediate boost to the economy.”

(Photo by Robbie1)