Free Public Transit: Russian thugs enforce highway building

Friday, August 6, 2010

Russian thugs enforce highway building

Apparently oblivious to the disintegration of climate stability and the general threat to their lives and all life on earth, Russian thugs attacked some environmentalists who were trying to save a forest from a highway.
This is why we say that addressing the supply side of the energy/climate crises is a losing strategy. As long as there is demand, there will be supply. And those who stand to profit from supply will get a free pass from governments. The proper strategy is to make public transit free, and make the private auto gradually obsolete.

Free is Cheaper

How is free transit cheaper? Don't you have to make up for lost fare revenue? The answer is that your city will save so much money in other areas, and quality of life will improve so much that you will get back much more than the lost fares. Some examples are listed below. If you want to see specific numbers, see our spreadsheet here.

Increased return on investment. Public transit involves large fixed costs. When fares are gone, there are more riders per vehicle, getting more value from the investment.
Reduced parking costs. With free transit, fewer people will park downtown. City parking authorities can cost $180 million a year, paid by fines, which are just a tax on customers and delivery services.

Reduced traffic congestion. Studies have shown that the time lost in traffic costs urban economies hundreds of millions of dollars.
Less money exported for gasoline. A medium sized city can export 1 million dollars a day in gasoline money for cars. Free buses will reduce this considerably.
Better quality of life, priceless. In Hasselt, Belgium, when fares were removed, people in hospital started receiving more visitors.