The Case for Privatizing Transit
The Antiplanner will be presenting a new paper tomorrow at the Cato Institute titled “Fixing Transit: The Case for Privatization.” The paper was not yet posted on the Cato web site, but you can download an advance copy. Most transit systems in America were private and profitable, if declining, as late as the 1960s. Since […]
More Election Results
Progressive Railroading lists a few more election results, oriented of course to pro-rail transit. That article in turn links to the Center for Transportation Excellence, a group focused on government “investment” in infrastructure, which claims that the vast majority of transportation measures passed this year (including elections prior to November). Many of the measures on […]
Interpreting the Election Results
Tea party supporters do not agree on a lot of issues, but are firm on two things: cutting government spending and protecting property rights. What do the election results mean for the future of land-use and transportation planning? On one hand, many of the results look promising for supporters of property rights and efficient (user-fee-driven) […]
Phoenix Transit Cuts: Caused by Light Rail?
Phoenix’s transit agency, Valley Metro, claims that its new light-rail line is a great success, but the Antiplanner is reserving judgment until we have actual data. In the meantime, news reports indicate that Valley Metro is failing to improve bus service as promised when voters agreed to increase the sales tax to support “roads and […]
Podcars or Robocars?
San Jose held a conference last week on podcars, the new name for personal rapid transit (PRT). Exhibitors included a variety of planning and consulting firms as well as at least three companies–2getthere, Ultra (which built the Heathrow line), and Vectus–that would like your tax dollars so they can build a podcar system for your […]
Dead Again
New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie rekilled the Hudson River tunnel project. He had killed it before, a couple of weeks ago, but then promised to reconsider his decision at the request of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Christie did not want to burden New Jersey taxpayers with the cost overruns, now anticipated to be at least […]
More Money Wasted
Just in time to influence the November election, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has granted $2.5 billion for high-speed rail to several states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. Underscoring the political nature of the grants, the announcements were not made by the Federal Railroad Administration, which doesn’t mention them on its web site. Instead, […]
TIGER II Rips Another Hole in the Federal Budget
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood put your money where his mouth is when he dedicated well over 40 percent of the latest round of “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery” (TIGER) stimulus funds to streetcars, pedestrianways, and other “livability” projects. The biggest grant was $47.67 million towards a 2.7-mile, $72 million streetcar line in Atlanta. In all, […]
How Many Subsidies Can Dance on the Head of a TOD?
Rail transit advocates often claim that new rail lines increase the value of properties near rail stations. While the Antiplanner is skeptical of many of these claims, a new report casts a dark light on such increased property values. According to this report from the Dukakis Center for Urban Policy (yes, that Dukakis), increased property […]
Protests in Stuttgart
From 5,000 miles away, it is difficult to tell what is going on in Stuttgart, Germany, where tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest against a $6 billion plan to replace the city’s World War I-vintage train station. Is the main concern the cost? The loss of a historic structure? […]
Getting Priorities Straight
Detroit is America’s eleventh-largest urban area and (unless you count the insipid people mover) the largest without rail transit. So, naturally, the city suffers from light-rail envy. In 2008, the mayor promised a Detroit-to-Ann Arbor commuter train by October 25, 2010–a promise that, since then, has been deferred indefinitely. The city also wants to build […]
Crash Postpones Driverless Test
The Antiplanner was looking forward to seeing Volkswagen run a driverless Audi up the windy Pikes Peak Road at racing speeds last month. Unfortunately, this test was postponed by a crash — not of the driverless car but of a helicopter that was aiming to photograph the test. (Maybe someone should develop a pilotless helicopter.) […]
