[sustran] Re: South Africa's Transport Policy (or lack thereof)

[Alex Welte]

> From: Wendell Cox <wcox at publicpurpose.com>
> Reply-To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
> To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
> Subject: Re: [sustran] South Africa's Transport Policy (or lack thereof)
>
> Some comments on The Mail and Guardian editorial....
>
> Re: No alternative has been presented to coax motorists, many travelling
> alone in their
>                                cars, away from the daily traffic jams. What
> about the damage to the
>                                environment? Must our cities be completely
> choked by pollution like Mexico City
>                                or Athens before Maharaj takes any action on
> car emissions?
>
> Where have such alternatives worked?

Where is the car lobby weak enough to allow mass transit to
be managed properly ?

>
> Perhaps SA should ensure that it follows the US lead in auto pollution
> technology for cars --- this is the only way that the pollution problem
> related to cars will be solved, and it is being solved.
>
'this is the only way ... ' ? nothing like categorical assertions to
gloss over the need for evidence.

> >Since the policy, or lack of policy, has consisted mostly of leaving
> >things to the market, and with a refusal to subsidize public
> >transportation, I would like to hear whether readers agree with
> >the editorial.  Eric Bruun
> >
> It's not such a bad thing to leave these things to the market, especially

It isn't ? you been there and seen it aint so bad, or what ?

> when you consider the robust kombi-taxi industry, both in terms of its

'robust' ? people killing each other for more business is a robust
industry ?

> potential to move passengers (if permitted) and the entrepreneurial path

it's 'permitted' AND it's a mess - people scrape together money they'd
have preferred to use for clothes and shelter so they can get to
work and not starve.

> that it provides to people trying to move up the economic ladder.
>
right out of starvation into a shanty in a squatter settlement

> With all of the social needs in SA --- housing, education, jobs, etc., etc.,
> it is not surprising, nor is it necessarily inappropriate for subsidies to
> public transport to take a :"back seat."

I guess by making people pay more to be less mobile,
they get around to doing their homework instead of going to school,
repairing their shacks instead of getting meaningful employment,
etc.  Sorry I couldn't support the one about jobs - I think you're
not necessarilly making sense on that one.