Transit Economics

Paul Krugman (liberal, writes for the NY Times) put up a story about transit. The transit situation in NYC is very different than it is way out here on the West Coast, but I still had something to say about it:

1) A single lane of roadway can deliver as many people at one person per car as a single line of track, and it can do it more quickly. Cars one second apart = 3600 people per hour. Trains 5 minutes apart with 300 people per train can deliver the same, but you are not going to get 300 people who all want to start at the same place and stop at the same place, so you are going to have to make stops, and that will slow you down.

2) Mixing traffic and pedestrians downtown is a stupid idea. All downtown areas should have a pedestrian level 20 or 30 feet above the motor vehicle traffic level. The pedestrian level should cover the entire area. Cars have headlights, they can deal with being shut off from the sun.

3) Parking is the root of all evil. Every building downtown should be required to provide a parking place for every person who could conceivable be in the building. Use the Fire Marshall's limit. Automated parking garages are the way to go.

4) Transit trains suck. They are noisy, crowded and uncomfortable. If you are in the mood and have the energy, and everyone else in your car is behaving, you can read. Driving, if traffic is moving freely is much better. Of course, it usually isn't. So driving sucks too. I wonder which is more wearing? I think the powers that be have allowed our transportation system to deteriorate in order keep everyone worn out and therefor too tired to make trouble, like demand that something be done about our transportation system.