Light Rail Suckage
September 5, 2003
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Posted by Aubrey Turner
Given next week’s election to consider the light rail tax boondoggle in Denton County, this article seems appropriate.
Well, all these statistics are interesting, but they are just dressing on an obvious point: Americans, more than perhaps any other nation, have been free to fully embrace the use of a device unparalleled as an articulate, efficient, safe, comfortable, versatile mode of travel—the automobile.
“Light rail,” or whatever the latest public transit nostrum, doesn’t get you to the parking lot of that interesting restaurant you’ve heard about in some little town. Nor does it get you back home. Nothing else gets you door to door like a car.
The introduction to the NHTS notes that the survey was conducted because (excuse the bureaucratese) “the process of improving the transportation infrastructure related to passenger travel requires an understanding of current passenger travel behavior patterns.”
Read my lips. “Current passenger travel behavior” in America centers on the car. Now, if only the politicians and planners would listen.
Indeed. Texas is a car state and most people in Texas have no interest in taking an inconvenient train and losing their freedom of movement. Let’s stop wasting our time and money chasing after a stupid idea that will never work.
I plan to vote NO on the DCTA tax increase.
Link via Instapundit.
Categories: Politics
Philosophically, Aubrey, I totally agree with you about the automobile. I once had a discussion with a fund raiser for CBE. When he asked me why I wouldn’t contribute I said it was because they had gotten too strident and too extremist. He asked me what I meant, and I offered up opposition to private transportation. He said “well you’re right. If I could abolish private ownership of cars I’d do it today.” My response was a better idea would be to abolish speed limits and build more roads. Now having said that, I used to live in a Milwaukee suburb and had an office in the Chicago loop on Adams Street that I went to a couple times a week. It was a 10 minute walk from the Amtrak station to my office. Drinking coffee and reading the paper on the way down was sure better than doing combat on the Kennedy.
In principle, I don’t oppose rail travel. But it must be in an area where it makes economic sense. In some cities (New York comes to mind), the population density is such that it makes sense. The problem with most of Texas is that things are so dispersed that public transportation can’t cover the entire area and make money. We’re simply too spread out. We’ve developed an automotive culture.
What is the CBE?
Citizens for a Better Environment. They may be defunct or under a different name now. You are right about pop density though. In my situation it made sense. You’d see the same people and conductors every day, the conductor’s wife would make Christmas cookies, it was pretty cool. The trains were always 60-70% full so even Amtrak should have been able to make money on that run.
Also on the train, the coffee in the morning was free and in the afternoon on the way home they sold beer!
I’m right there with you on this one. I can’t see much good about this. I think it’s not only unnecessary but offensive.
BUT! Thank gods we get to vote on it.
They didn’t get to vote on the Big Dig (Massachusetts), and it’s being partially subsidized by federal funds!