McCain Includes Wilshire Bus Lanes, Gold Line Extension in Amendments to Curb 'Wasteful Spending' by Fed

End of the Gold Line (Federal Funding?) Photo by LA Wad via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

Senator John McCain has his eye on several transit projects all over the nation that he is labeling "wasteful government spending," including two here in Los Angeles, explains StreetsblogLA. His target is the US Department of Transportation's 2010 spending bill, which comes up "for a vote this week in the upper chamber of Congress."

McCain is proposing to block federal spending on projects, including the Wilshire Blvd. Bus Lanes and the Metro's Gold Line Extension via amendments recently introduced, of which "all but one of them to prohibit fellow lawmakers from earmarking Federal Transit Administration aid for local transit systems."

McCain's amendments are not expected to pass, but that doesn't mean federal funding for transit projects is in the clear; "Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-OK) seven proposed amendment to the 2010 bill include one that would "prohibit the use of funds for roadkill reduction programs, transportation museums, scenic beautification projects, or bike and pedestrian paths" until the nation's highway trust fund is on a firmer financial footing."