By Santiago Arango In May, SunRail, Orlando’s commuter rail system, celebrated its first year of operation and was awarded a $93 million federal grant. Phase II of SunRail’s construction will add four more stations and 17.2 miles of rail into neighboring Osceola County within two years. Orlando is the 4th fastest growing city in … Continue reading Measuring Success and Failure in Public Transportation: The Case of Sunrail
Is Florida All Aboard for Intercity Railroads?
By Matt Kelly A battle over railroads is underway in the Sunshine State. Activists in Florida have stridently protested All Aboard Florida (AAF), which will launch the United State’s first privately funded and operated intercity rail service in over 50 years. AAF’s opponents strongly doubts the enterprise’s financial viability. Generally, rail services across the country … Continue reading Is Florida All Aboard for Intercity Railroads?
Transit as an Inferior Good
Original post date: November 25, 2013 Article by: Ben Douglas Mass transit is frequently accompanied by mass-subsidization, cartelization, and monopolies. This chronic need for artificial support might be an indication of its inherent inferiority as an economically valued good or service. If consumers preferred the bus or metro over other transportation alternatives, and if it … Continue reading Transit as an Inferior Good
Equal Access to Transportation, a Right?
Original post date: November 06, 2013 Article by: Anonymous Ray LaHood, the recently retired secretary of the Department of Transportation, said that equal access to transportation is “one of the most fundamental of American rights.” Mobility is a crucial aspect of life for many people today, and there is a large transportation need. Many people … Continue reading Equal Access to Transportation, a Right?
Go Green, Don’t Expand Transit
Original post date: November 04, 2013 Article by: Ben Douglas The careful application of economics to policy reveals a host of ironies. Minimum wages create unemployment among the very unskilled laborers policymakers intend to help. Rent control destroys housing in the very cities it is intended to save. Adam Smith’s entire concept of an “invisible hand,” … Continue reading Go Green, Don’t Expand Transit
Transit Reform in Santiago: Part II
Original post date: October 22, 2013 Article by: Ben Douglas The success of any endeavor is dependent upon the metric being used. If the goal of transit reform in Santiago, Chile was the elimination of profit from transit and the homogenization of bus services, the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, Transantiago, was a wild … Continue reading Transit Reform in Santiago: Part II
