NOW on PBS looks at mass transit projects and how the stimulus funding may be used, or abused, for such projects. This is a sensible look at what mass transit can offer around the country in terms of neighborhood revitalization, travel ease, reducing driving, lowering fuel consumption, building more sustainable communities and even increasing social interactions. But will the stimulus money actually be used sensibly?

From NOW on PBS:

President Obama’s stimulus money is nearly out the door and on its way to the states, but will it be spent in the way it is intended?

One alarming example: Mass transit. Cities and states, strapped for money, are cutting back on mass transit even as it becomes more popular with Americans. Meanwhile, President Obama is calling for increased mass transit as a necessary step toward energy independence. Will the government’s investment dramatically revitalize our national travel infrastructure, or will states spend the money according to ‘business as usual’?

This week NOW travels to North Carolina to see what the future holds for mass transit in these troubling financial times. Our investigation is part of a PBS-wide series on the country’s infrastructure called “Blueprint America.”

NOW on PBS “Stimulus Roadblock?”
NOW on PBS
Blueprint America on PBS