http://www.masstransitmag.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=3&id=13020&pageNum=2 (http://www.masstransitmag.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=3&id=13020&pageNum=2)
IMO, they should raise the gas tax high enough so that people really have to think about driving and change their lifestyles. That's the only way to discourage the sprawl. We should pay the same price Europeans pay for fuel which is the equivalent of between $6 and $8 per gallon.
It's not that easy. Don't forget that hikes in fuel means hikes in prices of merchandise and food. Also, transit ends up suffering because they can't afford the higher fuel while people cram into buses and trains. Besides, as a person who drives because taking the bus is ridiculously unnecessarily inconvenient, "it's not fair!" :)
Honestly, the MAIN cause of sprawl is that the housing and commercial properties that are built in no man's land is MUCH cheaper than housing that's in an "inner suburb" or the city, especially when the more expensive houses are near transit. I can't imagine anyone loves to sit in traffic jams in a 2 hour commute.
Quote from: Tritransit Area on November 24, 2010, 02:09:49 PM
It's not that easy. Don't forget that hikes in fuel means hikes in prices of merchandise and food. Also, transit ends up suffering because they can't afford the higher fuel while people cram into buses and trains. Besides, as a person who drives because taking the bus is ridiculously unnecessarily inconvenient, "it's not fair!" :)
Honestly, the MAIN cause of sprawl is that the housing and commercial properties that are built in no man's land is MUCH cheaper than housing that's in an "inner suburb" or the city, especially when the more expensive houses are near transit. I can't imagine anyone loves to sit in traffic jams in a 2 hour commute.
I know a few. It seems the whole notion of public transportation as an option is like a matter of socio-economics as well as accessibility. Granted the DC area boasts alot of people who use mass transit to avoid traffic and hefty parking fees, there are still alot of folks who just won't change their routines. It's not like they have to completely ditch their cars, just have an alternate. When I looked at that article, all I could think about was how poorly structured the transportation in this state is. MARC and Commuter Bus only go so far and its mainly a DC-based commuter system with very little attention to the Baltimore area. Vanpools in the state are few and far between and the local transportation systems seem disjointed from each other to provide a region connected. I wish we had a Measure R type of program in past elections that would have put some focus on transportation funding as it has been in California, but such a measure would be a Hail Mary pass.