Post by Steven Dale
People don’t ride airplanes because they’re pleasant. They ride them because they have no other real choice. Want proof? Notice how many people are choosing High Speed Rail instead of short haul flights. When there’s choice, people choose.
The problem Public Transit faces is this: It’s not an airplane. There are a huge number of alternative choices to Public Transit that people currently prefer:
- The Private Automobile
- Carpooling
- Electric Bicycles
- Mopeds or Vespas
- Rollerblades
- Skateboarding
- Cycling
- Jogging
- Walking
- Telecommuting
- Taxis
- Car Shares
If they seriously want to convert people to their way of thinking, Public Transit should want to provide a better product. Moral sway won’t work any more than guilt will, yet those are the very tactics transit advocates use.
Public Transit’s current strategy seems to be one of not trying to win now, but to wait until the other guys (read: automobiles) lose sometime in the future. This strategy is only possible given mass government subsidy and I’m not sure it will ever pan out.
The thing is, the other guys aren’t interested in losing now; they’re playing to win. Cars and vespas are smaller than ever; India and China are cranking them out cheaper than the world’s ever seen; electric cars are just around the corner; and bike lanes are (finally) popping up everywhere.
Meanwhile, electric bicycles have reduced the size of vehicles further; Car Shares are eliminating the need for excess parking; and the re-emergence of dense, urban living means that many people simply walk or jog to work. And walking is still as cheap as it’s ever been.
What has Public Transit done lately?
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