Well, the new “green”-tinged City Council has wasted no time in trotting out its first major boondoggle. Last Monday the Council voted 5-2 for a resolution directing city staff to attend a workshop to be conducted by an outfit called the “Complete Streets Coalition” — a Washington, DC-based lobbying group devoted to rebuilding America’s urban […]

Public transit nemesis Randall O’Toole also testified before the Senate committee hearing mentioned in the previous post (video and transcripts here). Some of his points (none of which were challenged by any member of the Committee or other witnesses): ♦ “Transit subsidies have historically had only a trivial effect on ridership. Between 1987 and 2007, annual subsidies […]

It is an article of unquestioned faith among advocates of public transit systems that such systems are more efficient than the privately-operated automobile (POV) for passenger transportation. The dogma was expressed most recently by Michael Replogle, a consultant for the Environmental Defense Fund and professional transit propagandist, in his testimony on July 7 before a Senate […]

One of the most amusing arguments in the repertoire of the anti-automobile zealots is the “Obesity Argument.” You know how it goes: we should build more bike lanes, force higher urban densities, build narrower, “traffic-calmed” streets, increase fuel taxes for auto users, etc., in order to compel people to walk and bicycle more. Obesity is, […]