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Badtux the Snarky PenguinIn a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. Religious fundamentalists are motivated by the sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere, is having fun -- and that this must be stopped. |
Wednesday, March 22, 2006Why mass transit loses moneyI took my car to the dealership this morning to get it serviced. By the time I was finished with the paperwork, it was 9:35am. So I walked to the nearest light rail station and bought a ticket (9:49 AM according to the ticket), and waited. And rode. And waited. And rode. And got to work at 11:35A. For what would be a 30 minute drive in my car.The fact of the matter is that if it takes four times as long to get anywhere via mass transit, people aren't going to use it. All the cuts in service in order to "save money" just reduce the ridership even more, until the only people using the service are those who have no choice. This isn't brain surgery. This is Economics 101. Higher fares + less service = less ridership. Doh! - Badtux the Economics 101 Penguin Posted by: BadTux / 3/22/2006 12:04:00 PMComments:Here in DFW, they trumpeted the new DART rail/bus system as THE way to get around. The first big test was a 4th of July celebration downtown a few years ago. It took people three and four hours to make a 20-minute car trip. It's a complete waste of money.# posted by Lab Kat : 22/3/06 12:45 PM
I know it's terrible now. It was not always that way:
Maybe they aren't going too slow. Maybe you are driving too fast.
There's a new paradigm in rapid transit - saw it on Science Channel the other night. Smaller is better. Four person electric runabouts, with no drivers, which run in a channel that's half the width of the bus lane, and recharge while they are being loaded. Heathrow just signed on to the system, which should be up and running within the year.
Usually it takes only twice as long. Your mass transit sucks. |
About Me
I am a black and white and yellow multicolored penguin making his way as best he can in a world of monochromic monkeys. ArchivesApril 2004 / December 2004 / January 2005 / February 2005 / March 2005 / April 2005 / May 2005 / June 2005 / July 2005 / August 2005 / September 2005 / October 2005 / November 2005 / December 2005 / January 2006 / February 2006 / March 2006 / April 2006 / May 2006 / June 2006 / July 2006 / August 2006 / September 2006 / October 2006 / November 2006 / December 2006 / January 2007 / February 2007 / March 2007 / April 2007 / May 2007 / June 2007 / July 2007 / August 2007 /
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"Keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce." -- Molly Ivins, 1944-2007
"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
-- Plato
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