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Maximize transit, minimize traffic
The Oregonian ^ | 05/06/03 | editorial

Posted on 05/09/2003 2:39:43 PM PDT by Willie Green

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Some simplifying force in human nature loves to set up false dichotomies. You know what we're talking about. As in: You're a cat person, I'm a dog person. You're a wine person, I'm a beer person. You're a bus person, I'm a car person.

Some of the criticism of two new light-rail extensions, planned for Clackamas County, stems from this kind of black-and-white thinking, carried over into the realm of public policy. Exaggerate the "transit vs. car" quarrel via a talk show or two, and before you know it, a thick layer of rhetorical asphalt has paved over all the complexities of our transportation system.

If you champion light rail, you're falsely painted as anti-highway. But our light-rail system -- in addition to helping the 36,500 or so people who use it every day -- is a huge help to everyone who loves to drive.

Some people in Clackamas County have discovered this for themselves over the past few years, as they studied the best transportation alternatives to connect them to downtown Portland. They didn't necessarily start out hospitable to light rail. Indeed, in 1997, Milwaukie voters ousted their mayor and two city council members in part over a planned light-rail route.

But after exhaustive public meetings and an in-depth look at other options -- including river transport -- light-rail re-emerged victorious. Part of the credit goes to Metro Councilor Brian Newman, a planner by training, who helped forge a new consensus during three years of meetings, first as a private citizen, later as a member of the Milwaukie City Council and finally as a Metro Councilor.

Recently, the Metro Council approved plans for two light-rail extensions, one along Interstate 205 from Gateway to Clackamas Town Center, which would open in 2009. A second extension is planned from downtown Portland to Milwaukie, which could open by 2014. These would cost $1 billion, and they aren't done deals (the second route would likely require a public vote). Something may change along the way, of course, but based on what we know now, it appears prudent to keep moving forward with these plans.

Just consider what a difference light rail makes at rush hour on Interstate 84 and U.S. 26. Figures collected by Metro's transportation planners indicate that, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., roughly 10,000 people are headed eastbound from downtown Portland. Another 9,000 are headed westbound. In both directions, at rush hour, about 26 percent of the total number of people traveling are on light rail.

Freeway travel is bad enough, but just imagine the congestion if all those light-rail travelers, eastbound and westbound, were added to the road.

Although it's true, and nice perhaps, that Portland has become synonymous with the success of its light-rail system, that's not why Portland should keep pursuing light rail. The reason has nothing whatsoever to do with Portland's image. It has everything to do with keeping up a smoothly running transportation system.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: masstransit; transportationlist
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1 posted on 05/09/2003 2:39:43 PM PDT by Willie Green
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To: Canticle_of_Deborah; *Transportation_List
ping
2 posted on 05/09/2003 2:40:25 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
Good post, Willie. I've ridden most of the light rail systems in North America, and Portland rates with Calgary and San Diego as the best of the new systems.

Although the voters keep voting not to expand the system, the wisdom of the city fathers of Portland shows why we are a republic and not a democracy. Shut that system down, and you'll see gridlock.

3 posted on 05/09/2003 2:46:23 PM PDT by Publius
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To: Publius
Unfortunately they are a waste in areas with good street systems (like Phoenix)
4 posted on 05/09/2003 2:59:54 PM PDT by kaktuskid
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To: Willie Green
Maximize boondoggles, minimize transportation.

NONE of these systems run unsubsidized by the taxpayers, and the rates of subsidization are nothing short of ridiculous. When the taxpayers have to fork over $15 per passenger mile, it becomes relatively obvious that we can save money by sending them in chauffeured limos, or by simply buying them new Cadillacs.

5 posted on 05/09/2003 3:12:24 PM PDT by jimt
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To: jimt
When the taxpayers have to fork over $15 per passenger mile,

As long as your gonna fabricate phoney numbers, why not call it $1500 per passenger mile (or $15,000) to really show your bias against mass transit? Heck, anybody can afford $15. You gotta think BIG!!!

6 posted on 05/09/2003 3:22:51 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
Bump! I'd rather spend our money here than ship it overseas to UN projects. Invest in America!
7 posted on 05/09/2003 3:24:57 PM PDT by Canticle_of_Deborah
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To: Willie Green
As long as your gonna fabricate phoney numbers, why not call it $1500 per passenger mile (or $15,000) to really show your bias against mass transit? Heck, anybody can afford $15. You gotta think BIG!!!

There are some transit systems whose subsidization approaches or perhaps exceeds $15/passenger mile. Most, however, are nowhere near that bad.

Interestingly, the London Underground is a consolidation of transit systems that were built by for-profit companies. Yerkes' company digging the deep tunnel lines (central parts of Picadilly, Bakerloo, and IIRC part of Northern) went broke, and was intended to be subsidized by the surface rail (which makes sense, since an underground connection increases the value of the surface-rail line) but nonetheless was privately financed by people who wanted to make money.

Compare that to the public-money boondoggles of today.

8 posted on 05/09/2003 3:44:41 PM PDT by supercat (TAG--you're it!)
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To: supercat
Compare that to the public-money boondoggles of today.

The worst is the private chauffeur services that the liberals have enacted for the elderly and disabled. I have no problems with designing public transit systems so that they are accessible by people who need special consideration. But it should still remain economical mass-transit for large numbers of passengers. Not personalized door-to-door service for a few.

9 posted on 05/09/2003 3:54:58 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
We, the people, voted on this light rail project.

We, the people, voted NO.

So, they're building it anyway.

10 posted on 05/09/2003 3:55:54 PM PDT by B Knotts
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To: Willie Green
The worst is the private chauffeur services that the liberals have enacted for the elderly and disabled. I have no problems with designing public transit systems so that they are accessible by people who need special consideration. But it should still remain economical mass-transit for large numbers of passengers. Not personalized door-to-door service for a few.

Which is better: to spend really huge oodles of money equipping all buses with wheelchair ramps which take up space and are such a slow enough to use that on the occasions when disabled person needs to use one it delays everyone, or to spend somewhat less money on a secondary system which provides better service to the disabled without delaying the transit of non-disabled riders?

11 posted on 05/09/2003 4:00:50 PM PDT by supercat (TAG--you're it!)
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To: supercat
Which is better: to spend really huge oodles of money equipping all buses with wheelchair ramps which take up space and...
or to spend somewhat less money on a secondary system which

You make a very good point with which I have only one objection.
I favor light rail as the primary system of local mass transit. Let passengers (including those in wheelchairs) board directly from an elevated platform without having to negotiate steps on the vehicle. Buses and specialized handicap vans could still have their place in the overall mix of transit to provide flexibility. But they should be secondary to the more permanent main transport routes.

12 posted on 05/09/2003 4:13:11 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
I favor light rail as the primary system of local mass transit.

Light rail requires a right-of-way which costs about as much as a lane of highway and yet on most routes will transport far fewer people and zero cargo. While there are some routes in which the flux (people per hour) will be better than what can be done on a road, on most routes the reverse is true.

13 posted on 05/09/2003 4:17:48 PM PDT by supercat (TAG--you're it!)
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To: supercat
Light rail requires a right-of-way which costs about as much as a lane of highway

It depends on what is meant by "light rail".
I use it (perhaps incorrectly) to describe any type of fixed track local transit system.
That could include subways, trolleys, overhead monorails, etc. etc. depending on the community. Even in the instance of trolleys, which share the right-of-way on city streets with regular traffic, design accommodations could be made where the stops consisted of elevated platforms for easier access. It likely isn't feasible to convert existing systems in this fashion. But it's worthy of consideration in new construction.

14 posted on 05/09/2003 4:33:19 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
We have light rail in my area. The best parallel I can draw is the Simpsons episode where the huckster sells the town the monorail on a set of false promises. There was an article in the local newspaper about what we were promised (when it was being built decades ago):

- 85% of the light rail's fees were going to be paid by users. Reality: Users pay only 15% of fees.

- Light Rail was going to move at 35 MPH average. Reality: Light Rail moves at about 15 MPH.

There were others I can't remember precisely but essentially the ridership is going down, the cost is going up. The opportunity cost of not building highways when you're dumping the money on inefficient light-rail is very high.
15 posted on 05/09/2003 4:48:20 PM PDT by jagrmeister
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To: jagrmeister
he best parallel I can draw is the Simpsons episode where the huckster sells the town the monorail on a set of false promises.

I don't base my opinions on episodes of the Simpsons.

16 posted on 05/09/2003 4:55:25 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
I don't base my opinions on episodes of the Simpsons.

Probably wise, though Mat Groening et al. are sometimes pretty effective at skewering the truth.

17 posted on 05/09/2003 5:35:37 PM PDT by supercat (TAG--you're it!)
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To: jagrmeister
but essentially the ridership is going down, the cost is going up.

The facts are:

How many people use public transportation? In 2001, Americans took 9.7 billion trips using public transportation, an increase of 3 percent more than the previous year, outpacing growth in other travel modes. In the past six years, public transportation ridership in the U.S. has grown by more than 24 percent, faster than highway or air travel. The equivalent of almost a million new trips on public transportation were added each day in 2001.

APTA estimates that over 14 million Americans ride on public transportation each weekday. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates another 25 million use public transportation less frequently but on a regular basis.


Operating funds provide income for operational expenses. Most operating funds originate from local sources (73 percent). Passenger fares pay for 35 percent of operating expenses, local governments contribute 24 percent, and non-governmental sources and taxes levied by the transportation system, tolls and fees, 14 percent. State and federal governments contribute 22 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Source: American Public Transportation AssociationRidership is increasing and passengers pay 35% of the operating costs on a national average.

As a conservative, I approve of federal matching funds for construction of transit systems. But I don't agree with federal contributions to operating expenses, even though they amount to only 5% of the cost. Those are costs that should be covered by passenger fare increases and/or local and state governments. I have no problem with state and local governments providing such subsidies as they deem necessary in their specific situation. Good transit systems facilitate commerce in congested urban areas, helping to expand the tax base while accommodating growth.

18 posted on 05/09/2003 5:45:56 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green
The problem with light rail is of course that the highways are too often "freeways". The cost of driving is subsidized-- the gasoline taxes only pay a portion of the cost of road maintenance, and of course doesn't factor in the environmental costs, or the portion of the defense budget that guarantees a ready supply of gasoline. And who knows what the economic cost is of thousands of commuters stuck in rush hour gridlock.

I live in a city (Atlanta) that has a very weak mass transit system-- if you live in Gwinnett or Cobb Counties, there are no trains running into downtown Atlanta.
19 posted on 05/09/2003 6:15:54 PM PDT by Maximum Leader (run from a knife, close on a gun)
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To: Willie Green
Look, I'm not going to go tit-for-tat with you on statistics. Ridership on the light rail in my county has gone down, the cost-per-mile is outrageous, and it largely is a wealth transfer (do a search on the San Jose Mercury's website for light rail). The APTA is an advocacy group and it's statistics need to be viewed from that viewpoint. I think the best piece I've seen on public transportation is from the Onion which "reported" that "98 percent of US commuters favor public transportation for others". It's hilarious how all these public transportation advocates ride their care everywhere and assume everyone else will suffer public trans.
20 posted on 05/09/2003 6:52:40 PM PDT by jagrmeister
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