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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Zoltan! who wrote (213364)	12/30/2001 10:04:20 AM
From: Kenneth E. Phillipps	Respond to of 769670

BART has been a tremendous economic help for Oakland. I notice that most of the shipping have moved to the Port of Oakland from the San Francisco side of the Bay.

To: Zoltan! who wrote (213364)	12/30/2001 10:26:17 AM
From: aknahow	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Would be interested in a link to some of the studies. Public transportation, not mass transportation, usually is not used by those in the middle and upper income tax brackets. In the case of BART it is used by "all" economic groups and that is what makes it "work" better than other mass transit projects. Too bad that subjects like Social Security, abortion and missile defense tend to be supported or rejected based on political affiliation rather than on a discussion of the issues involved in each topic. BART might work, but that does not mean that many other mass transit projects are not ill conceived boondoggles where the poor end up subsidizing the rich. BTW I am not saying that you are not willing to discuss the issues. I think you have seen studies demonstrating exactly what you say and am just asking for a link.

To: Zoltan! who wrote (213364)	12/30/2001 3:08:24 PM
From: portage	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

>>BART is a joke<< Rubbish. Many people who take BART wouldn't ride buses=more freeway congestion. Build it and they won't come. Especially the "rich". The separated BART right of way ensures more reliable travel times than even express buses. BART picked up the load when the Bay Bridge was down from the earthquake. During the 1997 transit strike, inter-county commute times went from 30-40 minutes to a few hours or more when BART shut down -- it doesn't carry a majority of commute traffic, but it serves as a necessary safety valve to prevent completely gridlocked traffic flow, saves the cost of additional freeway lanes and their maintainance, and is a backup redundancy in emergencies such as earthquakes. No transit system is self-supporting, but BART has one of the highest farebox ratios of any -- 60%+ compared to buses in the 20%'s. Bus systems are cheaper to build, but their operating expenses are higher with many more drivers required per passenger than rail. Both bus and freeways are subsidized by tax money as well. A balanced transportation system in a large, dense metropolitan area works best with highway, bus, and rail. BART would not necessarily be good for Denver or Cleveland, but it is good for the Bay Area. It's quite popular among Bay Area residents too, if you're so focused on studies and polls.