[sustran] Re: Interesting Piece on LRT in US Context - a commentary

[Todd Alexander Litman]

These issues are discussed in the 'Comparing Automobile and Transit Costs' 
section of our report "Evaluating Public Transit Benefits and Costs" 
(http://www.vtpi.org/tranben.pdf). Castelazo and Garrett's article exhibits 
nearly all of the 'Common Errors Made When Comparing Transit and Automobile 
Transport.' described in my report.


Best wishes,
-Todd Litman



At 05:58 PM 7/2/2004 +1000, Kirk Bendall wrote:
>Some quick comments:
>- if you are 9, or 99, a car is most likely an
>encumbrance.
>
>- what is the asset life, and value, remaining after
>the 5 years suggested?, 30 years (typical LRT vehicle
>life)?
>
>- another complication is car-km/trips, or
>LRT-Km/trips, or Bicycle-km/trips, will often be
>substituted on a non one-for-one basis.
>
>- a 0.5 percent increase in traffic IS significant if
>it moves traffic to 100% of capacity at the location
>in question - cost allocation for long-lived
>infrastructure is a whole new topic - how much should
>current weekday peak/weekend/night drivers contribute
>to an extra lane across the Mississippi?
>
>regards,
>Kirk Bendall
>Wollongong Australia
>www.illawarra.transinfo.info
>
>--- ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr wrote: > -----Original
>Message-----  On Behalf Of P.
> > Christopher Zegras
> > Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 7:50 PM
> > Subject: Interesting Piece on LRT in US Context
> >
> >
> > >From the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis....
> >
>http://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/re/2004/c/pdf/light_rail.pdf
> >
> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> >
> > Friday, July 02, 2004, Paris, France, Europe
> >
> > Thanks Chris for that good heads-up on the LRT
> > piece.  A comment and
> > invitation for further discussions if I may, since I
> > think this gives us
> > a policy platform which stretches well beyond the
> > intention of the
> > authors (which was basically to be clever).  (This
> > letter incidentally
> > is also being transmitted to the authors of the
> > piece at the Fed in
> > Saint Louis for their comments in turn.)
> >
> > Molly and Tom, economists let's note, have in their
> > article trotted out
> > a tired old trick that has been around for a long
> > time in the 'give the
> > poor a Beetle instead ' variant of transit bashing.
> > This is not only
> > one of the oldest games in town but also I am afraid
> > rather
> > mean-spirited stuff, because it attacks LRT on the
> > cheap, dragging it
> > out of its full and necessary longer term and
> > structural context.  (Not
> > incidentally that I have LRT on my personal short
> > list for immediate
> > action to move toward  more sustainable mobility
> > system, but more on
> > that another day.)
> >
> > We have to look at and decide about LRT case by case
> > and as part of a
> > larger package of policies, actions and services.
> > And indeed perhaps its
> > major contribution in many places where they managed
> > to get it right is
> > that it works to catalyze and justify a whole web of
> > related
> > transportation improvements --  including for
> > walkers, cyclists, and
> > users of other parts of the transit system - which
> > otherwise just may
> > not have got done, or at least had to wait another
> > and perhaps far
> > distant day.  Moreover, when wisely done as we have
> > seen in many places,
> > let's cite Portland Oregon as one of many shining
> > examples in the US, it
> > helps to cluster activities.
> >
> > Pity that the authors stretched beyond their remit
> > and competence to
> > provide such a poor assault, but it's not the first
> > time this has
> > happened so no great damage is done.
> >
> > But the Bible says that "out of the mouths of babes
> > and sucklings may
> > come the greater truth", and if suckings also
> > includes economists, well
> > then we have to listen.
> >
> >
> >
> > By this I mean that the major contribution of their
> > piece lies
> > elsewhere, and specifically in the important section
> > in which they
> > kindly explain to us what externalities are and then
> > go on the make the
> > critical point in which I believe all (or at least
> > most) of us are in
> > full agreement: and that is that drivers should pay
> > their way (just like
> > airline passengers, eh?).
> >
><snip>
> > In closing, kind thanks to the Molly and Tom,
> > together with an
> > invitation to tune in here if they wish to learn
> > something about the
> > full context of the little sub-issue that they chose
> > to take on without
> > apparently quite understanding the greater whole.
> > Welcome.
> > Sustainability and social justice is a big house.
> >
> > Eric Britton
> >
> >
>
>Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies.
>http://au.movies.yahoo.com


Sincerely,
Todd Litman, Director
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
1250 Rudlin Street
Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada
Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560
Email: litman at vtpi.org
Website: http://www.vtpi.org