Mass Transit vs' Highways and Automobiles

1
Mass Transit vs. Highways and Automobiles

• Which is the best solution for congestion?

2
Down Sides to Mass Transit

• It is very hard to get large amounts of people to
  switch from their cars to any from of mass
  transit.
• For example, Palm Beach County is spending
  millions of dollars to improve and expand mass
  transit while only 1.5 percent of the population
  actually uses it.
• With increasing populations there will be more
  car traffic regardless of transit options and
  roadways will need to be expended.
• Along with the population increase there will be
  an increase in trucking traffic for general
  goods. There is no way that mass transit can stop
  or help this.
• http//www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-pr
  oads03sep03,0,6076729.column?collsfla-news-col

3
Light Rail .

• In 9 out of 10 cities where there is a light
  rail, the number of mass transit users decreased-
  including Denver.

• With stops and train switches, the light rail
  has been proven to take longer than actually
  driving to your destination.
• In Portland, OR studies have shown that more
  people are now driving because of the light
  rails inconvenience.
• Communities are spending millions on this
  technology when it has been proven not to work.
• http//www.i2i.org/main/article.php?article_id406

4
The Costs of Mass Transit

• In most cities 40 of transportation funding goes
  to mass transit while only 2 of commuters
  actually use it.
• Light rail cost close to 40 million per mile.
• New York just passed a bill that is going to
  invest 52 billion in mass transit solutions.
• The time a commuter looses on mass transit can be
  more costly than driving to work in a car and
  working longer for more money

5
Why Highways?

• The roadways give us more options and direct
  routes to our destinations.
• Can be costly, but require less maintenance than
  that of most mass transit options.
• Costs less for some people to drive because of
  the riding fees and lost time.
• Much faster 25mph on a bus or light rail on side
  streets vs. going 75mph on a freeway.

6
Heath Issues of Mass Transit

• Congested halls, walkways and platforms of
  railroad and bus stations, in the metro
  underground systems unmanaged trash disposal may
  lead quickly to the spread of disease. Rats
  living in the wastewater and sewage and in the
  less accessible hollows of the underground rail
  systems, collect off litter, then transmit
  disease by rat droppings and urine. The resultant
  traffic drag and air pollution helps to carry the
  disease on the trains to parts, perhaps
  throughout the entire rail network and then
  beyond.
• http//www.blastgardintl.com/pdfs/MassTransitPubli
  cSafety.pdfsearch22disease20issues20mass20tr
  ansit22

7

• GET OFF THE BUS
• GET INTO YOUR CARS