Comments on: Your consolation link list

By: Jeff Jacobberger

Jeff Jacobberger — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:40:00 +0000

The Dukakis Center's report compares 1990 and 2000 census data for areas near transit stations opened during the 1990s. However, about 1/3 of the stations studied opened in 1995 or later (a couple opened in late 1999), which suggests that most of the demographic changes at those stations have nothing to with the TOD. The study looked at the Castro Valley BART station, which happens to be located in the middle of a freeway, with an entrance surrounded by a fairly large parking lot. A look at GoogleEarth suggests that, even 10 years later, there is almost no development near the station that could remotely be considered transit-oriented and it is a bleak pedestrian environment. Moreover, the Castro Valley is very close to the San Mateo Bridge and 880 Freeway, which provide access to what was, during the 1990s, the booming high-tech Silicon Valley, which has very poor transit service. Any change in commute mode seems likely to be explained by a change in commute patterns that is wholly independent of and outweighed the presence of a new BART station. I wonder how many other stations studied are mid-freeway, suburban locations where land uses had not yet had time to adjust to the new transit station.

By: Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 06:43:34 +0000

If by “central management” you mean government management, I don’t think this is necessarily the case – there are private mass transit companies in Japan and Hong Kong, and obviously private ownership was widespread during the period of major expansion around the turn of the last century. However, I will grant you that allowing new private mass transit would require a certain amount of vision and good governance that Mexico doesn’t seem to possess. Perhaps when the US stops forcing Mexico to fight its drug war, though, things will change…although I fear that won’t be for quite a while.

By: Owen

Owen — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 06:21:00 +0000

it looks like the city is seeking to socialize mass transit in the long-run. This seems to echo the pattern seen in many developing countries of municipalizing transit service

This is a bad trend. Mexico hasn’t gone very far down this road yet, but the municipal services are always lethargic. Wait times are long, trips can take hours, and coaches are uncomfortable. Private service zips along with one tram always waiting behind the one that just passed.

Of course, BRT, underground rail, light rail, and the like require central management. That is unfortunate for rpaid transit because quality, competent, and honest public management is rare in Latin America (though not as rare as it seems in the USA).