Dec 8th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Transit and Crisis
Mass transit ridership hits new record.
Of course mass transit systems generally receive a lot of funding from tax revenues. And tax revenues everywhere are going to be falling because of the recession. That will likely lead to funding cuts and reductions in service. One easy and highly beneficial form of stimulus would be for the federal government to inject funds into transit systems allowing them to increase service levels and reduce fares. This can be done a lot more swiftly than new public works but will also help lay the groundwork for good things in the long run.
44 Responses to “Transit and Crisis”
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December 8th, 2008 at 9:19 am
A friend of mine quipped that Singapore runs a highly profitable mass transit system but New York, on the other hand, runs a highly subsidized mass transit system. I wonder what, if any, lessons America could learn from places like Singapore. I lived in Singapore for a few years and have visited a couple of times since – public transportation can get you almost anywhere but the most posh places in the city, and even so they’re working on that right now. The fares are fairly cheap (about SGD2 for a ride, which works out to about $1.30) and the system is highly efficient and on time.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Yes, Singapore does have awesome transit. One thing that makes it easier for Singapore (aside from being a dictatorship) is that there are very few cars on the road (due to punishing taxes on private car ownership) so the public buses never get stuck in traffic. Also, those punishing taxes on private car ownership ensure that nearly everyone takes mass transit.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Mass transit in America is run primarily for the benefit of bureaucrats and union workers.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
it would be a very good idea as part of a stimulus package to make sure that rising demand for transit is not being thwarted by fare increases and service reductions. and lower gasoline prices.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Matt,
Didn’t you say that there were only 10 billion in “ready to go” projects at the state level? This article claims 10x that number. Funny that it flatly contradicts something claimed by blogging hack and former colleague McArdle.
One would think that with ridership up, and therefore fares up, and operating costs down due to lower fuel costs, that mass transit would be in good shape. Who knows?
December 8th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Heard Michael Moore suggest we put Detroit to work on the job of making new mass vehicles in exchange for a bailout.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Mass transit ridership hits new record.
Bullshit. It’s obvious that these stats have been jigged by the enemies of Greater Phoenix.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Yeah, given that the U.S Mayors say they’ve got more than 4,600 projects ready to go, I’m a little skeptical of claims that there aren’t enough shovel-ready projects in the U.S.
However, Federal subsidization to increase service and reduce fares is a good idea, since it both improves an increasingly necessary public service, but it also puts more cash back into the pockets of riders – so you get some fiscal stimulus to boot.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
So the theory is that local, state, and counry governments won’t be able to come up with enough construction projects to spend all the money?
Really?
And Republicans and libertarians are saying this?
I rather think not.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I find it outrageous that the federal highway system is not self-supporting and requires constant funding from our taxes. We should put them under the exact same budget scrutiny and constraints that we put on Amtrak.
Why is it that people are such hypocrites about funding of transportation?
December 8th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Amtrak, literally stinks, Fran. Why do you think the federal highway system should be self-supporting? How do you propose that it be self-supporting?
December 8th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Singapore may run a transit system that is operationally profitable, but I doubt it is recouping the capital investment or funding any new capital expenses.
Isn’t that a major thing the hefty car taxes are used for?
December 8th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
wiley: “Amtrak, literally stinks”
Why should that be a reason to not fund it? Maybe they could afford to clean the trains?
Are you some sort of socialist? Do you believe that people should be able to drive for free on roads that all of us pay for? Isn’t that socialist? Why don’t they put toll booths on EVERY interstate highway? If it’s good enough for the Mass Turnpike and the New York Thruway, why not for every other interstate?
I say we should take the capitalist approach with highways. People should pay for the things that they use and not freeload off of all of us.
December 8th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
By the way, we are supposed to be paying with our highways through the gasoline tax, but at some point that idea got set aside. Again I say that highways should be paid for by tolls and gasoline taxes.
If I have to pay to use the bus then you should have to pay to use the road.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
joe from Lowell,
I believe the line they have is that these infrastructure projects would take months if not years to implement, and that a stimulus would be much more quickly implemented in the form of a tax rebate like the one doled out this summer. Of course Governator Schwartzenegger contradicted McArdle and other intellectually challenged individual’s assertions to the contrary.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Benny Lava,
The MBTA in the Boston area has numerous expansion projects that are “shovel ready” and have been for years. The Green Line expansion to Somerville and several commuter rail routes to the North and South shores have languished waiting for funding. Eastern Mass is clogged with traffic every day for hours, and MBTA ridership is higher than ever. I am sure that many other major US cities are in similar situations. Seattle in particular is building its transit infrastructure in slow motion because they can’t get enough funding. That money can go right to work right away.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Fran,
Yes yes, I agree with you. If we alotted the money, shovels would hit the dirt in a few months, maybe even sooner depending on the circumstances. I hate to link to idiots, but libertarians were saying “You could allocate the money, to be sure, but by the time it actually hit an agency and went through the bureaucratic procedures necessary to actually spend it, the window for effective stimulus would have passed.” Some tried to argue that, because states were facing budget shortfalls, infrastructure projects were basically ready to go. As I said, it turns out that McArdle was wrong. I wonder if she admitted as such? Imagine what we would have built had we started funding these things in July??
December 8th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Yes, wintertime is not a particularly good time to get started on outdoor infrastructure projects that involve digging in the frozen earth. Even if it can theoretically be done, there are major issues with keeping workers from getting frostbite and delivering quality concrete. The issues can be overcome only at significantly greater cost. These things will have to wait until spring.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Not a problem in much of the US, such as California. And even in the wintry northlands, infrastructure project go on in the winter. Outside my office they are digging up the dirt for a new office building. The just started 2 weeks ago. I’ve seen the CTA work on the Chicago transit in the dead of January. Really, there is no need to wait for spring. These things can start now (or really the end of January when Obama is sworn in).
December 8th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I believe the line they have is that these infrastructure projects would take months if not years to implement, and that a stimulus would be much more quickly implemented in the form of a tax rebate like the one doled out this summer. Of course Governator Schwartzenegger contradicted McArdle and other intellectually challenged individual’s assertions to the contrary.
I’ll have you know, sir, that our bureaucrats are the best-trained, best-equipped bureaucrats in the entire world. Maybe you don’t feel the same way, but I support the bureaucrats. If they’re given the mission of getting $100 billion out the door on construction projects in the two months, by God that’s what they’ll do.
Support the bureaucrats. Freedom isn’t free, and requires you to solict at least three competing bids and publish your notice of award in the Federal Register.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Fran, I didn’t say Amtrak shouldn’t be funded. And yes, I am a socialist where the common good and infrastructure is concerned.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Please explain again why scent has anything to do with it? I have taken Amtrak many times and it doesn’t smell to me. Being stuck in traffic and smelling people’s exhaust and cigarette smoke is pretty smelly, too.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I’m confused about your position, Fran. I think Amtrak should be funded better. I think public transportation should be funded and expanded. Although traveling around the country on Amtrak can’t be beat price wise, the smell of sewage has, at times, been overwhelming. The trains are generally filthy, and never on time. It is apparently the red-headed step-children of the rail industry, freight trains have the right of way.
I would like to see rail expanded and improved—especially light rail between cities where people often have hours long commutes to work.
How do you propose that highways pay for themselves, though? Am just curious. Not being combative.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Didn’t you read my posts? FUEL TAX. It’s totally fair. Bigger vehicles do more damage to the roads, burn more fuel, and pay more taxes. If someone invents a better truck that uses less fuel, bully for them. Adjust the tax yearly so it keeps up with costs. Highways with larger costs can charge tolls. This is nothing new, it was the original intention all along.
Cities should pay for their highway infrastructure with access fees. If you take your car into Lower Manhattan you are competing for highway real estate with all those other cars. Again, leverage the concept of capitalism and charge people for taking up that precious space. Those who really need to be there will pay anyway, those who don’t will stay out.
Manhattan already has a defacto access fee because virtually all of the highways, bridges and tunnels leading in already have tolls. They really stick it to people coming from New Jersey. Once upon a time I figured out a way to get into the city from the north without paying any tolls, a complex path involving the cross-bronx expressway, but I don’t bother with it any more.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Sorry Fran. I scanned and missed your following posts.
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