4 Percent
2011-06-15 15:51:12.310116+00 by Dan Lyke 1 comments
Newgeography.com: Wendell Cox's Transit: The 4 Percent Solution looks at The Brookings Institution report Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America. Basically just a reiteration of the obvious: Transit spending is soaring, ridership isn't, largely because it takes twice as long to get to work on transit than it does driving (generally). Cox notes that:
A mode of transport incapable of accessing 96 percent of jobs within a normal commute period simply does not meet the needs of most people. This makes somewhat dubious claims that transit can materially reduce congestion or congestion costs throughout metropolitan areas. The Brookings estimates simply confirm the reality that has been evident in US Census Bureau and US Department of Transportation surveys for decades: that transit is generally not time-competitive with the automobile. It is no wonder that the vast majority of commuters in the United States (and even in Europe) travel to work by car.