Is Triad mass transit trivial pursuit?
This e-mail from a reader in response to Sunday's editorial on mass transit:
Everyone who objectively looks at mass transit understands that they are hugely expensive and require subsidies indefinitely. There is no way that one can justify mass transit on a cost-benefit analysis (just look at the Greensboro busing system, which requires hundreds of thousands of dollars in subsidies annually).
The reasons for this phenomena are several fold. First, Americans are independent and hesitant to give up their personal vehicles in favor of mass transit even if it means that they have to spend more time in traffic. Secondly, outside of mega cities like New York there simply is not the population density to support a mass transit system. Even in the crowded Northeast corridor between Washington, D.C. and New York and Boston, Amtrak cannot break even and requires huge annual subsidies from the federal government to function.
Mass transit is like a cool new toy for local officials. They seem to believe that it is the next logical step in foolishly spending taxpayer dollars on boondogle projects.
The attitude seems to be "Goodness, if our neighbor Charlotte has this neat new thing, shouldn't we also?" to show that we are progressing along the normal path of ominipotent government.
Comments (6)
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Hmmm...I can remember living in Greensboro with no car and being held hostage by the bus system there when trying to access part-time jobs -- jobs I needed to help pay for college. I live in the District of Columbia now and though I have a very reliable car, it often sits parked in front of my house while I ride the bus and Metro both to work and play. And with gas prices as high as they are, I am particularly grateful for alternate means of transportation. So, while you may be loathe to park your car and ride, don't be so certain that your desires are those of the majority.
Posted on May 18, 2005 11:13 AM
There's a big difference between the District of Columbia and the Triad. The main problem with mass transit in this area is the population density issue that was mentioned. Greensboro is spread out across a huge land area. The numbers just don't add up......yet.
Posted on May 18, 2005 4:35 PM
The Triad is definitely not DC, NYC or Chicago. It consists of a lot of urban sprawl. Many of the jobs are in the suburban office parks. Also many families have several vehicles on the road and won't give that up.
The county can't even get the school bus situation straight - remember the first day of school. Hopefully, with some of the new software and some preplanning and communication this year will go smoother. A mass transit system would be a real stretch.
I just don't think this area is ready nor can it afford a mass transit system. Many jobs are disappearing in general.
We don't have the draw of a hustle and bustle downtown area like other major cities have. Still a work in progress. The new stadium is a start but there is much to be done.
I have found that most people around here tend to stay in their own neck of the woods and frequent restaurants and businesses where they live.
Posted on May 18, 2005 5:08 PM
OH, I know they are different, believe me, as I said in my earlier post, I used to live there and struggled daily getting to places I needed to get to (such as work) before I had a car. Not saying my experience on its own warrants boosting mass transit just saying don't assume because YOU have a car and wouldn't necessarily make use of mass transit, that it's not needed.
Posted on May 19, 2005 6:36 PM
The website details more reason why mass transit does not work in the US (compared to Europe, Japan) - and proposes a semi-autonomous system (Hallitubes) supported by researchers at major universities.
Posted on May 27, 2006 7:21 PM
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Posted on October 19, 2006 5:12 AM