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Phoenix light rail early figures
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<P mce_keep="true">Metroplex motorists drive to thousands of places for work, play, shopping, etc. In some instances, especially downtown, they pay a fee to park. In others the cost of the parking lots is embedded in a retailer's pricing structure or in the building owner's rents. Determining the cost would be nearly impossible. In any case, the cost of parking is paid for by and large by the motorists. And it is unlikely to account for the $2.83 difference between the HOV subsidies and the light rail subsidies. </P> <P mce_keep="true">For pay parking lot owners pay local and state taxes. If the cost of the parking is embedded in the owner's rents, the owner pays local and state taxes, assuming that he or she earns a profit. Transit agencies pay no taxes; they simply eat them. </P> <P mce_keep="true">If you think that the cost differences are exaggerated, feel free to offer some contrary evidence? </P> <P mce_keep="true">I have lived in Texas for more than 35 years, of which 31 were spent in Dallas. During that time we had two good snow storms and two ice storms. The streets were clear within a day. Ice and snow in Dallas are so rare that it does not have any snow removal equipment; it just waits a few hours for the snow and ice to melt. </P> <P mce_keep="true">Public transit is necessary in metropolitan areas. And rail borne public transit is appropriate in major metropolitan areas such as New York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. But it not an optimum fit for most communities in the U.S., although many of them jumped on the light rail bandwagon because, well, it was the thing to do. </P> <P mce_keep="true">I campaigned for the implementation of the DART light rail system. Like most of the advocates I had no idea how much it would cost to implement and the magnitude of the operating subsidies. Neither did most of the other proponents. The last thing that they wanted to hear was a cost analysis. </P> <P mce_keep="true">My guess is that most of the people in Washington have no idea how much the Metro system costs them or the federal taxpayers. I doubt that most of the people who participate in these forums understand the costs. It takes a considerable amount of time to dig them out and understand them. </P> <P mce_keep="true">After I retired, I had the time to dig into the costs of passenger rail and transit rail. The cost and subsidy numbers blew my mind. This is why I concluded that the only place where rail is justified is in high density corridors or a metropolitan area where the cost of expanding highways and airways is prohibitive, and alternatives, such as Rapid Bus Technology, is not feasible. </P> <P mce_keep="true">Of all forms of public and private transport in the U.S., or most other countries for that matter, passenger rail, including transit rail, requires the largest capital and operating subsidies, which are paid largely by people who cannot or will not use the system. In a nation awash in debt, this should be cause for serious reflection.</P>
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