Comments on: Today’s Headlines http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/01/todays-headlines-330/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: kt http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/01/todays-headlines-330/comment-page-1/#comment-43946 kt Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:36:00 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/01/todays-headlines-330/#comment-43946 Regarding free transit in SF--did the consulting team include time (cost) savings that may come with a reduction of bus dwell times? I didn't see this mentioned in the article. A busy bus line wastes a lot of time waiting for passengers to swipe cards or feed bills and coins. And they could pay for any additional cost to Muni with congestion pricing, no? Regarding free transit in SF–did the consulting team include time (cost) savings that may come with a reduction of bus dwell times? I didn’t see this mentioned in the article. A busy bus line wastes a lot of time waiting for passengers to swipe cards or feed bills and coins. And they could pay for any additional cost to Muni with congestion pricing, no?

]]> By: Glenn http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/01/todays-headlines-330/comment-page-1/#comment-43944 Glenn Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:21:45 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/01/todays-headlines-330/#comment-43944 The average cost of owning a car is something like $8,000-$10,000 including depreciation, insurance, gas, etc. Even if we paid for the whole system out of the farebox it would be half that. And mass transit's good for the environment and pays livable wages to local union workers. The average cost of owning a car is something like $8,000-$10,000 including depreciation, insurance, gas, etc.

Even if we paid for the whole system out of the farebox it would be half that. And mass transit’s good for the environment and pays livable wages to local union workers.

]]> By: Larry Littlefield http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/01/todays-headlines-330/comment-page-1/#comment-43941 Larry Littlefield Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:37:46 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/01/todays-headlines-330/#comment-43941 Right. It's one thing to offer free transit in a region where 97% of the people drive, where the total cost of the transit system is negliable. It is another anyplace where the transit system is large. As it is, in FY 2005 the cost of the NYC transit system that is NOT covered by the fare was equal to 1.5% of the personal income of all the residents of NYC, even though the fare covers a larger than average share of costs there. Elsewhere, the non-fare cost of transit is negligable. To put that in perspective, the average state and local tax burden in the U.S. is 10.0% of personal income -- for everything. SOMEONE has to pay. Right. It’s one thing to offer free transit in a region where 97% of the people drive, where the total cost of the transit system is negliable. It is another anyplace where the transit system is large.

As it is, in FY 2005 the cost of the NYC transit system that is NOT covered by the fare was equal to 1.5% of the personal income of all the residents of NYC, even though the fare covers a larger than average share of costs there. Elsewhere, the non-fare cost of transit is negligable. To put that in perspective, the average state and local tax burden in the U.S. is 10.0% of personal income — for everything. SOMEONE has to pay.

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