The Subsidy Myth:
Transportation subsidies are unfairly biased towards autos and highways,
so we must increase transit funding to provide balanced transportation
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The Reality:
At least since 1975, transit subsidies have been tens to hundreds
of times greater than highway
subsidies.
Mover, a third of the transit subsidies have been paid directly
by auto drivers. |
The Decline Myth:
America's urban transit systems have been steadily declining
for decades, and only more funding can reverse that decline.
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The Reality:
Both transit funding and the facilities provided by transit agencies
have been steadily increasing for decades.
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The Funding Myth:
More money for transit will boost ridership; we need to transfer
highway dollars to transit and increase state and local taxes for
transit agencies. |
he Reality:
There has been no relation between transit funding and transit ridership;
despite huge increases in transit funding over the past two decades,
ridership is stagnant or falling. |
The Federal Myth:
Federal funding of urban freeways must be balanced by federal funding
of urban mass transit. |
The Reality:
The federal share of the Interstate Highway System was completely
paid for out of federal highway user fees, while the federal government
collects no transit user fees. |
The Congestion Relief Myth:
We can't build our way out of congestion through highway construction;
instead, we can mitigate congestion by diverting more highway funds
into mass transit. |
The Reality:
Transit's effect on congestion is insignificant in most American
cities. Spending dollars on transit to reduce congestion is more
likely to increase because it diverts funds from activities that
have a more significant effect on congestion.
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The Traditional Transit Myth:
Transit agencies should continue to focus on 19th-century
fixed-route transit lines radiating from downtown hubs.
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The Reality:
American cities have evolved, and modern travel patterns are too
complex to be served by traditional transit. Transit agencies must
adapt by providing new kinds
of transit. |
The Monopoly Myth:
Public monopolies are essential for transit to work.
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The Reality:
Competition is one of the best ways to improve transit services.
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The Nostalgia Myth:
Turn-of-the-century transit systems offered Americans greater mobility
and livability than the transit and highway systems of today.
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The Reality:
The automobile has made Americans the most mobile people in the
history of the world. That mobility has significantly improved urban
livability in many ways. |
The New Urban Myth:
It makes more sense to rebuild our cities to serve transit than
to redesign transit systems to serve modern cities.
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The
Reality:
Attempts to redesign cities to improve transit ridership would be
expensive and ultimately unsuccessful. It is far more effective
to modernize the transit system to serve contemporary needs.
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The Morality Myth:
Public transit is morally superior to private automobiles.
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The Reality:
Most of transit's supposed advantages over the automobile are
based on aesthetic judgments not shared by a majority of Americans.
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Sound transit policy requires
that policymakers understand the reality behind these myths.
Funds available for transit will always be limited. It is therefore
incumbent on policymakers to invest these limited funds in ways
that produce the greatest value for the taxpayer' dollars.
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