• U.S.

Environment: Help for Mass Transit

2 minute read
TIME

Connecticut Senator Lowell Weicker Jr. thought the money was “totally inadequate.” But the Congressmen, Governors and mayors gathered in the East Room of the White House last week were delighted.

They had come to watch President Gerald Ford sign an $11.8 billion mass-transportation bill. The money, which will be distributed to cities and states over the next six years, is the largest federal subsidy ever approved for mass transit and the first to include funds for the day-to-day operations of urban rail, bus and subway systems.

The $4 billion set aside by Congress for operating subsidies will help compensate hard-pressed metropolitan transit systems for rising labor, energy and maintenance costs, thus enabling them to hold the line on fares. After the signing, for example, New York City Mayor Abraham Beame predicted that New York City would now be able to keep its 350 bus and subway fare at least through 1975. Low fares, along with the improvements in equipment and service that the bill’s remaining $7.8 billion will bring, should encourage urban Americans to use mass transit instead of relying so heavily on autos.

It was for this reason, despite President Ford’s vow to help fight inflation by cutting federal spending, that the Administration strongly backed the bill. Said Ford: “This legislation is significant in our fight against the excessive use of petroleum, in our economic battle and in our efforts to curb urban pollution and reduce congestion.”

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com