WHY TRANSIT MATTERS – PART 1 – CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Non-riding, public transportation detractors often argue that if they do not utilize the transit system, they should not pay for it. That position runs counter to this country's shared commitment to fund critical infrastructure, which are facilities and assets vital to the functioning of our society and economy. This infrastructure includes police, fire, airports, seaports, highways, bridges, defense, national security, and public transportation. Every year, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) American Infrastructure Report Card includes public transportation because transit provides essential access to jobs, schools, healthcare, shopping, and other services. We pay for the protection and safety of our police forces because those officers, and the public service they provide, benefit all of us, even if some of us never dial 911. We pay for highways and bridges because the absence of such infrastructure would undermine our economy. Similarly, we pay for transit to ensure the access that ASCE and all of us recognize as societally essential. Public transportation connects us. Transit matters first and foremost as publicly funded critical infrastructure. The Utah Transit Authority’s operators, operating team, and administrative employees, proudly provide public transportation that benefits everyone.
Non-riders may not directly use transit, but a quality transit system has an effect similar to adding new lanes of traffic by diversifying transportation options. Thanks for sharing!
Bravo
Well said! Thanks, Jay!
Book author- including "Sustainable Infrastructure Investment: toward a more equitable future" Routledge
4moYes to all that. But it is also physically impossible to have dense cities without transit. Transit is not just for the poor who cannot afford cars. Besides, by their logic, why should we pay for rural roads that only a few people use? Let them drive in the mud..... Your explanation should not be necessary, but this just shows that civics education does not exist in high school. UK is also socially backwards. It is the heritage of John Locke in the English speaking countries.