Posted by laima on August 20, 2006, at 17:03:56
In reply to Re: oil business and profits, posted by Jost on August 20, 2006, at 15:06:56
Wow, having spent chunks of time in NYC myself, I really relate to and stand by your observations and comments about the streets in Manhatten and the situation with the subways!
Subways and busses in Chicago have some serious issues, too- even though they keep raising fares while cutting service-especially service to pooer parts of the city.> I'm pressed for time, but my point was not that it's bad to maintain highways and roads, but that there are incentive structures that the government creates for different social practices, such as using public or private transportation.
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> It's more the amount of subsidy for roads vs. for trains, subways, etc.
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> Certainly, there should be good roads, but the users of roads could cover more of the cost, and the government could support provision of better, fast, more reliable public transportation, to support the use of that.
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> Rather than broken down subways coming every 6-14 minutes, at irreular intervals and being crowded, you could have clean, well-maintained trains coming every five minutes, regularly, with more sitting room for everyone.
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> Or Amtrak could go to many more destinations, leaving at much more frequent intervals, travelling much faster, with fewer delays, etc.
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> Etc.
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> It's not an either/or proposition, but of balancing of public goods.
>
> Jost
poster:laima
thread:675260
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060809/msgs/678514.html