John A. Charles Jr. believes that recent evidence suggests that it’s time to reconsider the basic purpose of the agency
John A. Charles Jr.
Cascade Policy Institute
For those of us who came of age in the 1970s, the conventional wisdom was that cars were gas guzzlers and the environmentally correct way to travel was via transit.
That is no longer the case.
Last month the Federal Transit Agency (FTA) released its 2022 National Transit Database. According to Oregon economist Randal O’Toole, the results show that transit used more energy per passenger-mile than the average car or light truck in every urban area. Transit vehicles also emitted more greenhouse gasses than the average car or light truck in every urban area except New York.
Local planners seem to have missed this development. Metro’s proposed Regional Transportation Plan, which the agency will adopt in early December, recommends that we provide more funding for TriMet and take measures to increase ridership as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Obviously this strategy will fail, because transit itself is failing.
TriMet’s share of all regional trips today is about 4%, which means it’s irrelevant to most regional travelers. This suggests that it’s time to reconsider the basic purpose of the agency. Ridership peaked in 2012, and there is no evidence that it will ever come back. If there are few riders and transit vehicles are less efficient than cars, what is the point?
John A. Charles, Jr. is president and CEO of Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.
Also read:
- Letter: ‘The current bridge plan hurts economic development on BOTH sides of the river’
Sam Churchill from Hayden Island shares his concerns over the economic impact of the current I-5 Bridge replacement proposal on both sides of the river. - Clark County Council pushes back on multiple IBR detailsAverage weekday vehicle trips data shows insights into Vancouver transportation trends amid the Interstate Bridge Replacement project.
- Paying 16 times more for tolls than gas taxesDrivers may pay up to 16 times more for I-5 tolls than gas taxes, sparking concerns over rising transportation costs in Washington state.
- Part-time shoulder lane now activated for State Route 14 travelers
State Route 14’s new part-time shoulder lane, designed for smoother traffic flow, opens in Vancouver. - Public invited to open house to learn about future improvements on SR 500 in Vancouver, Oct. 29WSDOT invites public input on future safety improvements for SR 500, including pedestrian and bicycle lanes, on Oct. 29 in Vancouver.
