Rising Above the Transit Critics Mantra

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Rising Above the Transit Critics Mantra

• Jeremy Gunderson
• Program Associate
• Center For Transportation Excellence

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Topics

• What to Expect
• Who the Critics Are
• What the Critics Represent
• Impact Critics Have
• Approaches/Responses
• Resources

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What to Expect From the Critics

• Local and National Scrutiny
• Their Mission Create Doubt
• Compartmentalization of Statistics
• Strategic Oversimplification
• Persistence

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Who the Critics Are

• Hired Guns
• Wendell Cox
• Sam Staley
• Randal OToole
• Robert Poole
• Political Opponents of Your Champion
• Those adversely affected by proposal

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What the Critics Represent

• Anti-tax
• Anti-government
• Conservative Think Tanks
• Road Builders/Highway Lobby
• Proponents of Privacy (fear of crime, etc.)

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How to Approach A Critic

• Duplicate the Medium
• Letters to the Editor
• Web-based education
• Targeted Door-to-Door
• Community Meetings
• Debates
• Speakers Bureau

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Strategies

• Remove Ambiguity
• (ex Speakers Bureau)
• Be persistent in showing need for investment
• Exemplify Good Stewardship of Public Funds
• (ex Tri-met Efficiency Study)
• Use the private sector as a charismatic voice
• Use the transit agency as a technical voice

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Strategies.

• Hire your own Gun
• If you cant beat em, include them
• (ex Change the route)

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Resources

• CFTE Website
• (www.cfte.org)
• Common Critical Arguments with Point-by-Point
  Refutation
• Useful Factoids
• Critic Identification

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Resources..

• Your Local Transit Agency
• APTA (www.apta.com)
• PT2 (www.publictransportation.org)
• Worldwide Transit Cabal (www.transitcabal.org)
• Surface Transportation Policy Project
  (www.transact.org)

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Learn From Other Local Coalitions

• Transit Alliance (www.transitalliance.org)
• Friends of Transit (www.friendsoftransit.org)
• CFSTS (www.savetucson.org)
• Transit Coaliton (www.transitcoalition.org)
• Regional Transit Alliance (www.kctransit.org)
• Gulf Coast Institute (www.livablehouston.org)

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Final Note.

• Jeremy Gunderson
• jer_at_cfte.org
• www.cfte.org