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I know it's difficult to comprehend that not everything, esp. public works, has to be profitable or even break even.
Imagine NYC shutting down the subway system because it's $2B in the red.
Certain transportation modalities are simply cheaper than others. I don't believe transportation networks can operate at a profit in most cases (American freight rail is an exception, largely because the rights of way were granted when the land was empty), otherwise they would be privatized. However the cost to fly people between New York and Los Angeles in an airplane, even accounting for the cost of the airports at either end, is much lower in terms of time and money than having those same people ride a train. I never claimed that rail has to be break even to be reasonable. However it does need to be cheaper than air travel and interstate highway travel.
I know it's difficult to comprehend that not everything, esp. public works, has to be profitable or even break even.
Imagine NYC shutting down the subway system because it's $2B in the red.
So....I take it you're happy to personally make up the $2B shortfall?
You don't pay the cost of the roads you drive on, so it's reasonable to provide a subsidy for public transport in a city as dense as NYC.
I agree that subsidizing public transit is reasonable considering roads and airports are also subsidized, but that doesn't mean that transit projects shouldn't be scrutinized.
There was a "conservative" mayor (Rob Ford) here in Toronto that recently sold off some land that made up a future rail transit right of way to developers because he decided we're just going to build a tunnel bored subway instead so we don't need the land...
And then he was voted out of office and the new mayor decided to go with a more affordable and practical solution to build a light rail line, but it still had to be underground since the ROW for a more affordable at grade route is gone.
The cost of the California HSR is ridiculous. I have to think that there would have been a way to build a good rail link at a lower cost. And if not, then investing that money in local transit such as buses, light rail, even commuter rail and heavy rail, would have gone further.
I agree that subsidizing public transit is reasonable considering roads and airports are also subsidized, but that doesn't mean that transit projects shouldn't be scrutinized.
There was a "conservative" mayor (Rob Ford) here in Toronto that recently sold off some land that made up a future rail transit right of way to developers because he decided we're just going to build a tunnel bored subway instead so we don't need the land...
And then he was voted out of office and the new mayor decided to go with a more affordable and practical solution to build a light rail line, but it still had to be underground since the ROW for a more affordable at grade route is gone.
The cost of the California HSR is ridiculous. I have to think that there would have been a way to build a good rail link at a lower cost. And if not, then investing that money in local transit such as buses, light rail, even commuter rail and heavy rail, would have gone further.
The projects should definitely be scrutinized, and that includes roads, rail, and buses. But there also has to be some kind of understanding that each of those modes has its place, which seems to be difficult for some folks to accept. And that includes pundits from all sides, from the anti-rail people to the anti-road people.
You don't pay the cost of the roads you drive on, so it's reasonable to provide a subsidy for public transport in a city as dense as NYC.
These people are so dense that they don't understand the economic value have an efficient mass transit system adds to the economy of the city.
Imagine how much productivity is lost because people are stuck in gridlock getting to work.
I'm not saying there shouldn't be an audit to see where savings can be had, a lot of it probably lost to theft from OT fraud and poor management that enables this.
These people are so dense that they don't understand the economic value have an efficient mass transit system adds to the economy of the city.
Imagine how much productivity is lost because people are stuck in gridlock getting to work.
I'm not saying there shouldn't be an audit to see where savings can be had, a lot of it probably lost to theft from OT fraud and poor management that enables this.
So I take it you've personally cut a check to MTA to cover the shortfall? Yes or No?
If you think it's so valuable, pay for it out of your own pocket.
Is the American inability to build infrastructure a good thing?
It's good for my mechanics, fix the roads!.
And, I've noticed the infrastructure countries in Asia to be better than ours; in comparison the U.S. looks rather third world.
Given that global populations will max out later this century, and have already maxed out in many developed countries, will infrastructure become a white elephant?
I'm not alleging any great wisdom on the part of American policymakers due to their and our inability to build infrastructure, beyond a mere reading of the prices for new infrastructure and gagging at the cost.
But is this reluctance to build actually the better policy, better than say China with its insane real estate industry or Spain's high speed rail? You already see an advanced case of "infrastructureitis" in Japan, where politicians are addicted to capital projects and the public debt is ~2.5x GDP.
Maintaining infrastructure needs to be a serious priority. It shouldn't take special bills to happen. It should mostly be baked into the budget.
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