...Here’s another idea: treat public transportation as a necessary public service and set up the system so it’s guaranteed enough money to increase service around the city. It’s time for local officials to get creative for a change, rather than thinking like robotic bureaucrats. How about a luxury car tax? A gas guzzler tax? Or how about coming up with something new, an overhaul of the system that could be proposed to local governing bodies — come on, Keith Parker, have you got that in you? Maybe even look into an idea we brought up in October 2007 — something a number of cities in the US and other nations are having success with: fare-free public transit. Think of the drop in congestion and gasoline bills, not to mention air pollution — and what a way for Charlotte to show that its progressive vision goes beyond a couple of light-rail lines and a lively Uptown...The CLOG
