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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Cars Versus Public Transit

Where is the Public Demand?


Vehicle miles per capita continue to decline since 1999
~ I wrote recently about some of the fallacious thinking behind opposition to supporting public transit. For the free marketeers out there, here's another reason for public support of public transit: it's what the public demands!

By "demands" I could point to that segment of the public that shows up at public hearings, whether due to an overabundance of free time or innate zealotry or whatever reason. But here I mean that pure expression of Milton Friedman: how people vote with their wallets and their behaviors.

In the Puget Sound area served by Metro Transit, people are driving less, and have been for years. Meanwhile, public transit ridership continues to surge.

Update: Replaced graphic with a better one.

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