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The billions of dollars invested in Sydney's transport will increasingly be spent on mass transit systems over the coming decades rather than motorways, the head of the state's transport agency says.
Following a successful opening of a new metro rail line in Sydney's north-west, Transport for NSW secretary Rodd Staples said a "real shift in the thinking" about transport networks was under way.
"I certainly see the shift over the generations ahead that you will see in metropolitan Sydney more of the investment going into the mass transit than in the motorway network," he told the Transport Australia Conference.
Comparing this to making the entire ITP car-free is a pretty large stretch. According to the article, the "city that banned cars" closed off about 300,000 square meters, or about 0.11 square miles. That's about a quarter mile square.
Um, no, Einstein..... 0.11 square miles is 1/9 of a square mile --- not even close to 1/4.
1. zoning: complains of "car dependency" due to "illegality" of apartment complexes and requirement for parking. "Dependency" of course is used in a pejorative fashion with respect to cars. However, "transit dependency" is far worse. What if there isn't even any transit around?
2. car design: "every individual has an incentive to buy a tank to protect himself"
Maybe but insurance and cost are barriers. The wide variety of cars in the market shows that not everyone buys a tank. The argument also was that cars weren't designed to protect pedestrians. Of course the narration is making up problems without proposing solutions. He proposes no change to design for pedestrians. Also based on the narrator's logic the same incentive should cause pedestrians to buy cars to solve the "problem". In short, "F" for logic.
3. tax law: complains tax law that makes the government "pay you" for commuter parking and then complains it doesn't pay for bicycling, walking, or going "car free" there is "no incentive". Another really LAME argument. To the extent there is an incentive, those who bicycle, walk, and go "car free" have more money to put into their pockets because they aren't paying for car. The US tax law allows a fringe benefit of $265 if the employer is paying for parking but the $265 has to be reported as income to the worker. So it is not tax free. Alternatively the worker can use pre-tax dollars to pay for parking up to $265/month as part of a qualified plan. Big whoop. The bicyclist and walker are not paying for parking so why would they expect any kind of deduction here? Their complaint is If they want the same they can purchase a car, drive it in, and pay for parking. Bicyclists can get up to $240/month from an employer for bicycling but (like parking is treated) it has to be included in income. Where is the "big" disparity?
His solutions were a bit vague: Solution one: invest in "new resources" with no explanation as to what is meant. Solution two: better allocate existing resources - problem is he is talking about "better allocating" other people's property.
“Our main objective is to give the streets back to people,'' says Hanna Marcussen, Oslo’s vice mayor for urban development. “It is about how we want to use our streets and what the streets should be for. For us, the street should be where you meet people, eat at outdoor restaurants, where kids play, and where art is exhibited.” To do this, Oslo has closed off certain streets in the centre to cars entirely. They have also removed almost all parking spots and replaced them with cycling lanes, benches and miniature parks.
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