02/17/04 - Commentary #08 - Great Rail Disasters - The Impact of Rail Transit on Urban Livability

February 17, 2004

by Randall O'Toole

Does rail transit improve urban livability?  To answer this question, The James Madison Institute reviewed transit, congestion, cost, safety, and other data for all two-dozen U.S. urban areas that have rail transit.

Our conclusion is that, far from enhancing livability, rail transit reduced the livability of ever urban area that has it.  Miami and Ft. Lauderdale's rail systems score particularly poorly because the consume more energy than autos and haven't stopped the erosion of transit's share of travel.  During the 1990s, transit's share of commuters declined by 10 percent and its share of overall travel declined by 14 percent.

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Commentaries

• 02/17/04 - Commentary #08 - Great Rail Disasters - The Impact of Rail Transit on Urban Livability
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