Post by RS Davis on Jun 24, 2004 18:35:46 GMT -5
"Derailed by Facts"
Nothing can kill a beautiful theory so much as an ugly fact.
Take trains. I like them, though I almost never ride them. Wouldn't it be great if something so romantic could solve urban traffic congestion? With this rationale, the federal government has pumped billions into various metropolitan areas over the years, all to create train systems known as "light rail."
Portland, Oregon's light rail, for instance, has a neat name, "MAX," and a new line, into the north of the city. The government outfit that runs the system says the new line will offer "fast, reliable service, improved access to jobs and housing and better transit service to North Portland." But John Charles of the Cascade Policy Institute notes that not one of these claims is true, each killed by ugly facts.
It's not "fast." The average speed? Fifteen miles per hour, which is no improvement on the bus that ran the route.
It's only "reliable" in good weather. In the worst winter storms, when most needed, the trains shut down while buses plug along.
Since the old bus route has been nixed, there's no "improvement" in services to North Portland. And now riders going further north, to sister city Vancouver, have an extra step, taking MAX to the end of its line, then transferring to a bus.
In his report, Charles explains how Portland's rail service has actually made traffic worse in his city. I bet the city's bureaucrats will disregard his analysis, though. Why? Because the truth seems so...ugly.
But that doesn't make it any the less true.
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.[/b]
Nothing can kill a beautiful theory so much as an ugly fact.
Take trains. I like them, though I almost never ride them. Wouldn't it be great if something so romantic could solve urban traffic congestion? With this rationale, the federal government has pumped billions into various metropolitan areas over the years, all to create train systems known as "light rail."
Portland, Oregon's light rail, for instance, has a neat name, "MAX," and a new line, into the north of the city. The government outfit that runs the system says the new line will offer "fast, reliable service, improved access to jobs and housing and better transit service to North Portland." But John Charles of the Cascade Policy Institute notes that not one of these claims is true, each killed by ugly facts.
It's not "fast." The average speed? Fifteen miles per hour, which is no improvement on the bus that ran the route.
It's only "reliable" in good weather. In the worst winter storms, when most needed, the trains shut down while buses plug along.
Since the old bus route has been nixed, there's no "improvement" in services to North Portland. And now riders going further north, to sister city Vancouver, have an extra step, taking MAX to the end of its line, then transferring to a bus.
In his report, Charles explains how Portland's rail service has actually made traffic worse in his city. I bet the city's bureaucrats will disregard his analysis, though. Why? Because the truth seems so...ugly.
But that doesn't make it any the less true.
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.[/b]
