tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post3257934653885474953..comments2024-02-01T04:37:41.878-05:00Comments on Cap'n Transit Rides Again: Ways to Transit IndependenceCap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-38793886621242335672009-03-02T00:20:00.001-05:002009-03-02T00:20:00.001-05:00And good points from Pan and Bruce also.And good points from Pan and Bruce also.Cap'n Transithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-74850205908416276622009-03-02T00:20:00.000-05:002009-03-02T00:20:00.000-05:00Thanks for writing, Chris. The reason I left out ...Thanks for writing, Chris. The reason I left out the subsidies to cars is because I've been reading so much about transit services that are cutting service even though they're gaining riders. In other words, they're competing better than they were, but it's not helping them to fund their operations.<BR/><BR/>Your point #3 about labor costs is very insightful. It echoes something I've been thinking about, and I'll write more about it soon.Cap'n Transithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-18525884321096486562009-03-01T21:15:00.000-05:002009-03-01T21:15:00.000-05:00Tax all the bloody "free" parking spaces that make...Tax all the bloody "free" parking spaces that make the bloody bus route longer.BruceMcFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08502035881761277885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-75060745500424591462009-03-01T18:37:00.000-05:002009-03-01T18:37:00.000-05:00@ PT ... however, it needs to be put into capital ...@ PT ... however, it needs to be put into capital works ... relying on capital gains from real estate development to subsidize operating costs leads to the transit system going looking hat in hand for subsidy from somewhere else when the development capital gains slow down or stop ... recall the example of interurban lines put in place by developers in the US at the turn of the last century.BruceMcFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08502035881761277885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-29270159933809254642009-02-24T09:57:00.000-05:002009-02-24T09:57:00.000-05:001. In regards to the first point: People will pay ...1. In regards to the first point: People will pay enough to cover (or almost cover) operating expenses when the service you provide is substantially better than the alternatives. Thus the Lincoln Tunnel lines, as you mentioned. Also Acela does quite well financially and high speed rail in France is not only profitable but enough so to yield a sustainable return on investment. It can be so because you can't drive 186 mph and it's so much better than flying.<BR/><BR/>2. Higher speed is often a way to simultaneously lower costs and increase the price the market will bear.<BR/><BR/>A train that takes 2 hours instead of 4 needs only half the operating labor and half the equipment and a portion of the track capacity (well, it's not that exact, but you get the idea). This is why Southwest Airlines can make so much out of quick turns at airports.<BR/><BR/>This is a very compelling argument for upgrading high-traffic regular bus lines into "rapid" BRT services. Not only better service for passengers, but at lower cost.<BR/><BR/>3. A lot really does come down to labor costs, which are a very significant amount of the expense of transit. When you think about it, that's a serious competitive disadvantage because the perceived labor cost of driving is free. <BR/><BR/>4. American transit operations are *very* tradition bound. There are ways to reduce labor costs that are routine in Europe and elsewhere. Automatic operation of subways. An "honesty" fare policy that does away with the whole turnstile or conductor punching the tickets system in favor of simple validators and random inspection. This actually has a higher fare compliance rate (because people don't know if they'll be checked).<BR/><BR/>5. You mostly left out the biggest way transit operations could become financially independent: if the competition (the auto) paid it's real cost of operation. Then we'd see people flocking to transit in short order. We must never forget that the reason transit struggles is because it faces a massively subsidized competition (and remember that the gas tax covers less than 20% of the cost of highways since 60% of local property taxes go to transportation (at least in my state of Vermont). Not to mention the cost of highway enforcement. And that's not even getting into the societal costs of pollution and sprawl and the debt given to our children to pay for a war in the middle east.Christopher Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16947034888487890485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-6823642499580207422009-02-23T02:32:00.000-05:002009-02-23T02:32:00.000-05:00Part of 2 and 4 should be real estate. If we allo...Part of 2 and 4 should be real estate. If we allowed transit agencies to have investment arms that bought real estate near transit stations and redevelop them at higher densities such as in Hong Kong or Japan, there would be a bigger revenue source for expansion and operation.Pantograph Trolleypolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17833159138533550544noreply@blogger.com