Posted on 04/19/2010 12:14:29 PM PDT by george76
The 2009 annual report from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is a bombshell, a wake up call, a Klaxon - choose whatever metaphor you like - if you care about public transit ...
It shows, more clearly than any of the reports of budget woes coming from the individual transit agencies, that the entire system is unsustainable. Think the fare hikes and service cuts are bad now? Just wait.
"Looking at it another way, we will fall short of the resources our regional transit system needs by a cool $1 billion a year over the next quarter-century."
Translation: If you are a highly-paid administrator in a Bay Area transit agency, it's time to start polishing your resume.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Lavish public transit systems are a capital-consuming, economic black hole.
Don’t worry, they will make a profit with high speed rail...
I rode BART to the ballpark three times last week. There were very few empty seats. Also took the transbay bus this morning to the drupalcon conference at Moscone. Every seat filled.
Reading the comments section of the article is a hoot. Some of the natives are getting restless and then there are some real gems like:
“
The solution is obvious.
Just put a tax on fuel equal to every dime spent in the M.E. as well as every penny spent on the Navy maintaining control over the sea lanes for oil delivery.
That 350 billion per year will make private autos useless piles of junk without increasing our actual costs, given that OIL is being subsidized with tax money to that point.
Thus, endless supplies of money for mass transit will be available, since there won’t be an alternative.
Sound harsh?
Still a good idea. Let the profiteers pay the costs, and we’ll all act with more wisdom.
“
Hilarious!
“the entire service is unsustainable.”
Yes, that IS the problem with socialism. Eventually you run out of other people’s money. Instead, they use confiscated money from non-participant taxpayers to prop things up.
If riders of the transit actually had to pay for the cost of running the system(s), things would be different.
For many, it would not be worth it. Those lines/systems would die off. Because they are not worth it.
For a few, perhaps it would still be worth it. Those systems would thrive, and probably be a lot more responsive to the riders.
Well, a FReeper can dream.
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