; Whereas travel by public transit is substantially safer than travel by car, with data showing that rail transit is about 30 times safer and travel by bus is about 60 times safer; Whereas the fatality rate associated with using public transit is half that associated with driving; Whereas public transit trips begin and end with biking or walking, it is critical to improve safe bicycle and pedestrian access to transit stops to improve access to and use of public transit, particularly for people with lower incomes; Whereas in addition to producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions, public transit also releases fewer emissions linked to asthma and encourages active travel which improves public health; Whereas a 2013 report studied the impact of a 35-day public transit strike in Los Angeles, finding that the average delay across all major freeways in the region increased 47 percent during the strike, with delays increasing up to 123 percent for freeways that ran parallel to public transit lines hampered by the strike demonstrates that public transit contributes to congestion reduction for motorists by providing another option for travelers and helps take cars off the road; Whereas public transit is popular, a March 2020 poll found that— (1) Americans support expanding public transit by a 77–15 margin—even as many public transit agencies face a growing generational funding crisis brought on by COVID–19; (2) among individuals that reported that a car was their primary mode of transportation, about 80 percent agreed that they have no choice but to drive as much as they do; and (3) just over half of car users report wishing they had more options; Whereas Americans pay a premium for housing in communities accessible to public transit, a phenomenon the National Association of Realtors called the public transit effect