The so-called "debate" about whether to invest in public transit is framed incorrectly. The failure to break away from the accounting-style framework to an economic framework is the result of many years of dominance by the profiteers of autosprawl.
Public transit funding is framed in budget terms. How much does it cost? What is the minimum we can invest and still function as a community.
If the actual costs of the autosprawl system were included in this discussion it would be easy to show that the reduction in car and sprawl costs would more than justify robust investment in public transit. Even fare-free public transit.
We have shown in our spreadsheet that if a city realized only very small reductions in the costs of the car system, it could easily afford fare-free public transit.
Public transit funding is framed in budget terms. How much does it cost? What is the minimum we can invest and still function as a community.
If the actual costs of the autosprawl system were included in this discussion it would be easy to show that the reduction in car and sprawl costs would more than justify robust investment in public transit. Even fare-free public transit.
We have shown in our spreadsheet that if a city realized only very small reductions in the costs of the car system, it could easily afford fare-free public transit.
