Comments on: Media Cranks http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/04/05/media-cranks/ Mass Transit's editor, Fred Jandt, speaks weekly on critical issues facing the public transportation industry. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:00:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Robert S. Yarnell http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/04/05/media-cranks/#comment-255 Robert S. Yarnell Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:34:23 +0000 http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/04/05/media-cranks/#comment-255 Even though some (or most?) transit systems may operate at a loss, in my opinion, they give back much more to the communities they serve in the form of enhance commerce and trade. You can see this with the development along their right of ways. They also make our cities "livable" again. Even though some (or most?) transit systems may operate at a loss, in my opinion, they give back much more to the communities they serve in the form of enhance commerce and trade. You can see this with the development along their right of ways. They also make our cities “livable” again.

]]> By: Schuyler http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/04/05/media-cranks/#comment-249 Schuyler Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:54:10 +0000 http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/04/05/media-cranks/#comment-249 "transit officials were more interested in building the system they could instead of what could work." Right. They're interested in building what they can NOW. Maybe it isn't what would really work better if they had more money, but building a transit system is an incremental process. I believe that they will build increments that work "for now." I recognize that the negative spin on this quote is that systems might be built only because the NIMBYs and the environmental hurdles can be avoided. There are so many checks in the process of getting systems funded that I can't quite believe that can happen. “transit officials were more interested in building the system they could instead of what could work.”

Right. They’re interested in building what they can NOW. Maybe it isn’t what would really work better if they had more money, but building a transit system is an incremental process. I believe that they will build increments that work “for now.”

I recognize that the negative spin on this quote is that systems might be built only because the NIMBYs and the environmental hurdles can be avoided. There are so many checks in the process of getting systems funded that I can’t quite believe that can happen.

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