Investment in ABQ's public-transit would boost city's housing, economic, and climate initiatives
Research shows transit investments would reduce carbon emissions, lower transportation costs, and increase economic development.
The November 10th Albuquerque Journal article titled Keller seeks ‘transformative’ updates to zoning codes sheds light on the mayors hopes of increasing affordable housing in Albuquerque. This comes just weeks after Keller’s announcement to expand on the “Rail Trail,” an indication that sustainable urban development is on the Mayor’s mind.
The Keller-backed bill aims to roll back restrictions against “mother-in-law units” or “casitas” on land that is currently zoned for single-family housing (R-1). The Mayor also seeks to reduce restrictions imposed on multi-family housing developers. The plan would reduce requirements on parking space minimums, loosen height restrictions on new developments, and allow for more commercial spaces to be remodeled into housing units. Through these initiatives, Keller hopes to add 5,000 more housing units to the city by 2025.
The bill would increase the amount of smaller/more-affordable homes and rental units amidst a country-wide housing crisis. Fannie Mae argues one of the main causes of our over-priced housing market across the country is the shortage of homes across America. While this bill would not solve all of Albuquerque’s problems, the city should find itself with more affordable housing if the bill passes.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, affordable housing and public transit should be developed in conjunction with each other. The Keller administration and the City have not expressed much intent to increase transit infrastructure to counteract expected higher car traffic due to denser housing.
An increase in housing density highlights the concern that current transit infrastructure may not be enough to serve residents properly. Many American cities have worse car traffic than Albuquerque, but the City’s goal should be to keep it that way.
Car-dependency is becoming less attractive to people across America, and Albuquerque could stand to benefit from less car-dependency. YouTubers like CityNerd and City Beautiful have quickly risen in popularity over the last couple years as Americans yearn for green solutions to affordable housing and transportation.
The Mayor’s plans to “transform” Albuquerque’s zoning laws would be more holistic if public transit was also on the table.
Public Transit and Green Infrastructure in Albuquerque
AllTransit.cnt.org ranks Albuquerques public transportation system 51st out of the 77 American cities with more than 250,000 people. The reasons being, among other things, low ridership and few available routes. Albuquerque residents are all-too-familiar with the poor reputation the bus system has, but the Rail Runner’s recent spike in ridership suggests there is demand for a robust public transit ecosystem in Albuquerque.
The current bus system has not been popular for many reasons - it’s unpleasant, the trips are infrequent, it doesn’t cover much of the city and the City Counsel has not had a cohesive, confident response for it’s short-comings. The bus system is currently free in Albuquerque in an effort to increase ridership, but the city’s drug and homelessness problems are making the bus system seem unsafe to the public. Not even free transportation is incentivizing residents to utilize the public transit.
The RailRunner, on the other hand, is more convenient, feels safe, and is gaining ridership, according to recent data. The benefits of the Rail Runner are plenty, but the rising price of gas this year has residents rediscovering the 16-year-old train’s value.
While many depend on the Rail Runner commuter train, this Albuquerque Journal article displays the Rail Runner’s common complaint: it does not pay for itself. In the Rail Runner’s defense, it was never expected to pay for itself.
The Rail Runner is meant to increase equality/accessibility to resources and support economic development - much like any public road. Public roads like Paseo del Norte don’t pay for themselves in this sense either, yet the street increases the tax base by increasing economic development and accessibility to resources.
This white paper, Opportunities for RMRTD to Foster Regional Economic Development Benefits from Transit in the Albuquerque Region, by Strategic Economics, explains that the return-on-investment in public transit is not derived from ride fares, but from direct and indirect economic impacts of increasing communities’ access to resources. Education around public transit needs to take place in order for our needs to be adequately met.
According to a 2019 report by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC), the Rail Runner needs certain improvements to increase its usability. One example being more by-pass infrastructure within the city to decrease ride times and increase ridership. To the best of my knowledge, the LFC’s recommendations to improve the Rail Runner have not been realized.
Furthermore, investment in public transit would provide greener transportation options for people who cannot walk to work or buy an electric vehicle.
Electric Vehicles and Green Policy Initiatives
Increasing public transit and affordable housing in Albuquerque has economic, social, and health benefits, and is a progressive way for cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Regressive policies - laws that disproportionately aid high-income earners - are present in today’s green-policy dialogue. Law makers need to make sure they plan green infrastructure for low-income earners too.
New Mexico, California, and other progressive states look to decrease the amount of fossil-fueled cars sold in their states through regulations at the manufacturer level. As New Mexico takes on laws like Advanced Clean Cars (ACC), and potentially Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC2), to reduce climate-changing emissions, local governments need to remember necessary regulations can come with a side-effect of further increasing car prices in the future. Electric car subsidies would help, but the average New Mexican family cannot realistically afford a car that meets the increasingly stricter clean car standards.
Climate researchers say clean car regulations like ACC2 are necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, but should be enforced in conjunction with bills that provide green infrastructure to people of all income levels, like better public transit.
One Solution, Many Benefits
Albuquerque’s need for better public transit is apparent from any angle you look at it. More train and bus routes can decrease unemployment rates, free up cash for low-income families, take polluting cars off the road, make denser cities more manageable, and much more. As Abq grows, law-makers can turn to public transit investment as a solution to the issues referenced in this article, but they aren’t likely to act unless people speak up.
Use this tool to contact your local representatives and voice your opinion on the matter. To read more on housing affordability and its relationship with public transit, read my article Strategic zoning could improve quality of life in Albuquerque.
How do you think Albuquerque should think about transportation? Paid-subscribers can leave a note in the comments or message me directly for further conversation on this topic.
El Norteño is run by one man… and he has bills to pay. Paid-subscribers fund Austin’s ability to spend time researching and writing in the interest of benefitting New Mexico. The more subscribers, the more time I can dedicate to this project.
Muchos gracias.
Very good insight on this article. More cities need to pay attention to public transportation and the impact it has on our environment and economy. Albuquerque has a chance to reinvent it’s public transportation with it’s recent investment into it, hopefully they can do it right.
Very well said! I ride the Rail Runner to work in Santa Fe and am so grateful to have the option. It makes the morning commute affordable, enjoyable, and relaxing. No waiting in track on I-25. More public transit like the Rail Runner is definitely what Abq needs.