Worst-Managed Transit Agency Takes Another Turn for the Worse

August 31st, 2007
San Jose’s transit agency, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), is cutting bus service again. Over the past six years, a series of financial crises have forced it to cut service by almost 20 percent, contributing to a 34-percent decline in total ridership. Endangered transit service.Flickr photo by Ian Fuller. Now it is planning to eliminate [...]

The Pleasures of Public Transit

August 27th, 2007
Here are some heartwarming examples of how public transit helps build a sense of community as compared with those soul-destroying automobiles. A family of tourists got on a Portland light-rail train looking forward to a day of seeing all the sights that can be seen within walking distance of one of Portland’s rail lines. But then [...]

Charlotte Misleads Again on Transit

August 21st, 2007
Sometimes it helps to check the facts. Charlotte-Mecklenburg, in danger of losing its transit tax to a voter recall over unprecedented cost increases, has played the “environmental” card. For example, in an August 20 paid advertisement in the Charlotte Observer, the agency claimed that transit produced one-half as much greenhouse gas emissions as private vehicles. That would be true of New York, but if the special case of New York is excluded, it turns out there is little difference in the greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile between private vehicles and transit. Indeed, in Charlotte, transit emits more greenhouse ...

Part IV: Light Rail and Interstate 90 Sound Transit's Proposal to Place Light Rail Across I-90 Will Increase Traffic Congestion

August 19th, 2007
By Michael Ennis, Washington Policy Center Director, Center for Transportation Policy Summary<?xml:namespace prefix = o />· Sound Transit’s plan to place light rail on Interstate 90 will reduce overall vehicle capacity on the bridge by 15% during the morning peak commute and 8% during the afternoon. · Light rail will increase vehicle delay on the bridge by 27% during the morning peak drive and

More on Charlotte’s Light Rail and Streetcar Number 85

August 17th, 2007
Though it has been established that many people - and specifically those in Charlotte - do not read what they are signing before they sign it, many of you may well be wondering - and rightfully so - where that leaves things. What will happen if the transit tax is revoked? First and foremost, everyone purchasing something in Mecklenburg County will save a bit of money with every purchase. That's the good news. And it's probably the end of the good news, especially if you're a resident of the county. Why? Because we've already been told that if ...

Rail, Energy, & CO2: Part 5 — Policy Alternatives

August 17th, 2007
The numbers in the rail summary spreadsheet show that rail transit often, but not always, uses less energy per passenger mile than buses. But this is deceptive because most rail lines are built in heavily traveled corridors, while many bus lines serve suburban routes and run nearly empty much of the day. The master spreadsheet [...]

Rail, Energy, & CO2: Part 4 — Construction

August 16th, 2007
Let’s say you want to build a rail line and you are convinced, despite all the evidence in my previous posts, that operating it will use less energy per passenger mile than buses or cars. Before you start construction, first ask: How much energy will it take to build the rail line? Sound Transit, which is [...]

Rail, Energy, & CO2: Part 3 — Before and After

August 15th, 2007
Yesterday, we found that light-rail systems in Houston, Minneapolis, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, and St. Louis seemed to be energy efficient compared with automobiles. But are they really? When transit agencies open light-rail lines, they don’t usually make significant reductions in bus service. Instead, they convert corridor bus lines to feeder buses for [...]

Rail, Energy, & CO2: Part 2 — Results for 2005

August 14th, 2007
Does rail transit save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Based on the results for 2005, the answer seems to be mostly “no.” These results are found in two downloadable spreadsheets: the National Transit Database summary (1.4 MB) and a summary spreadsheet for rail cities. You can also download a spreadsheet with the calculations of [...]

Does Rail Transit Save Energy or Reduce CO2 Emissions?

August 13th, 2007
One reason often put forward to build rail transit is that it will save energy. Lately, rail advocates have added the claim that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many people accept these statements without question. A recent NPR story argued that “part of the solution (to global warming) is light rail.” The Antiplanner previously [...]
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