BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — City leaders in Birmingham are calling for the repeal of a racist amendment in Alabama’s state constitution that restricts funding for public transportation, according to a report by WVTM 13’s Bryce Oselen.
Currently, the amendment is blocking funding for a proposal by the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) to redesign the MAX bus system, Oselen reported. “A constitutional amendment passed in 1952 prohibits Alabama from using gas tax revenues to fund public transportation, a restriction city officials argue must be repealed,” he wrote.
Given the historical context, “it was racist, on its face,” said City Council President Darrell O’Quinn in the article.
The BJCTA’s proposal, known as the “70-30 redesign plan,” would allocate 70% of transit services to fixed routes and 30% to micro-transit options throughout the city, according to Oselen.
The BJCTA says the new system would provide faster, more reliable public transit. It plans to implement the redesign by the end of 2026, Oselen reported.
However, Oselen noted, “the BJCTA is undertaking these changes without access to gas tax funding, a common revenue source for mass transit systems nationwide.”
“Needless to say, these are challenging circumstances to try and provide connectivity across our region,” O’Quinn said in the article.
