Mass Transit Really Doesn’t Help the Planet
What I learned about public transit in the USA shocked me. I’ve been a fan of public transit, taking it where it’s practical for me, and feeling green about it. That transit is a significantly greener way to get around than private car travel almost goes without saying in our thoughts and discussions.
Disturbingly, this simply isn’t true….
Putting the car at 3,500 I was disturbed to learn that city diesel buses and electric trolley buses are both mildly worse than the car in energy efficiency. Light rail systems are also slightly worse, on average, though it varies a lot from city to city. Commuter rail and subway (heavy rail) trains tend to be a bit better, but not a lot better. (Non-hybrid cars are also better at long haul than they are short haul.)
Particularly disturbing were the numbers for some of the worst transit systems, including the light rail in San Jose, which I sometimes ride. That system takes twice as much energy per passenger than private cars do. It’s not even the worst.
It’s all a scam. The problem as the author points out is that mass transit systems seldom run full. The system is built to handle rush hour traffic and fails miserably during the rest of the day.
The author of the article makes the point that mass transit systems are still a good thing because they ease traffic congestion, provides low cost transportation and “enforces certain patterns on our cities.”
I’m sorry those are all baloney. Barring certain cities like New York mass transit systems cost more than the benefits gained. If we used the money wasted on mass transit and spent it on projects people actually need (more roads) congestion wouldn’t be as much a problem. A perfect case in point is the Minneapolis light rail billion dollar boondoggle. Maybe if the state hadn’t wasted a Billion dollars on that they could have afforded to keep their bridges out of the water.
The second point about providing low cost transportation is probably the least egregious in the list. On the other hand if the buses are running empty even with an huge subsidy apparently no one really wants the service.
The last reason about “enforcing patterns in our cities” is 200% bogus. First of all you don’t need public transportation to do that. Building of roads would accomplish the exact same thing. Of course the whole idea is wrong because it’s not up to some goofball city planning committee to decide how and where people (real families) should live. Build the roads where people want to go.
Anyway this all gets away from the point of my post. Buses, light rail and other mass transit are bad for the environment and bad for your pocketbook. Just say no!
