--- Jordan Hayes <jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com> wrote:
> James Heartfield writes:
>
> > Who really imagines that transit is going to
> double in size,
> > or even that highway use is likely to reduce?
>
> Well, we have a little experimental data for this:
> the 1989 Loma Priata
> earthquake closed the Bay Bridge for 6 weeks. At
[WS:] I have a California story to tell as wel. The Loma Prieta quake seriously damaged hwy 17 that connects Santa Cruz to San Jose. To facilitate commuting, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority opened a bus connection between the two cities. It quickly gained popularity (I was regularly using it) - but it was quickly challenged by the Peerless Bus Company that provided shitty and overpriced service between Santa Cruz and Berkeley (the only fun part of that service was the smell of weed emanating from passengers' luggage). At a public hearing, Peerless argued the ususal Amerikan Business Bullshit - that they cannot compete, that government puts them out of business, and that they have the right to make a profit.
Even though the public reaction was overwhelmingly supportive of the service, SCVTA had to back off because Peerles threated a law suit, and no doubt they would win. AFAIK, the service continued for a while as a publicly subsidized, but privately provided one.
So the moral of the story is that it does not matter what the public wants - it matters what is profitable to the owners of this country. And since so many groups profit from cars (manufacturers, insurance companies, repair shops, parking garages, cops, construction companies to name the major ones) - there is no way they will let public transit run over the goose that lays golden eggs. No way, Jose. Not in Amerika. That is why Amerikans will be driving, sitting in traffic jams, choking on exhaus, and loving it - an highway construction will be booming - as James correctly argues - while transit projects will be struggling for pennies and studied to death. Ditto for health insurance reform. Brace for more of the same.
Wojtek
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