Gov. Rick Scott did the right thing in vetoing receipt of government funds for high-speed rail. There are several good reasons why this was a wise idea.
The light rail would have cost many times the amount offered by the federal government. Light rail would do almost nothing to relieve the congestion on our roads. There are several much more cost effective ways to attack our congestion problems. Light rail would do little or nothing to reduce pollution, and use of oil.
In fact, light rail will produce virtually none of the benefits claimed by its advocates.
The reader should be aware that personal mobility adds a lot to the freedom and economic well being of the individual. The standard of living of a citizen in the U.S. is closely coupled with his or her ability to move about.
For the most part, trains and busses don’t take people where they want to go and when they want to go. They are downright inconvenient. In fact, historically the American population didn’t come near their present level of mobility until the motor car was developed.
Trains and ships were mainly used by the rich who could then afford them. Now virtually every American has access to a car.
You could say that the motor car is the great egalitarian form of transportation.
Here are several additional points that should be made:
* In Europe where trains are more prevalent more and more people are turning to cars. Railroads in Europe cover about one quarter of their costs. The taxpayers make up the rest.
* The popularity and prevalence of car travel in Europe is improving in spite of governmental bias against cars in the form of exorbitant gas taxes which are spent on rail while neglecting roads.
* One aspect of rail travel that is seldom mentioned by its proponents is that after about 30 years, the whole system needs an overhaul that is comparable in cost to rebuilding the system.
* European trains are great for tourists like myself who have enjoyed traveling in Germany , France and Switzerland subsidized by the European taxpayer. They are not so great for the citizens of the countries we visited.
* In his book “Gridlock,” author Randal O’Tool gives an in depth discussion of these factors and makes some practical and cost effective suggestions on how to solve the congestion problem. Among his suggestions:
* First and simplest, add more lanes to the highways.
* Get the roads financed directly by the people who use them rather than the taxpayer in general.
* Since the capacity of roads is greatly reduced by driver irregularity such as random speed changes, introduce smart cars and smart highways with the humans effectively removed from the driving.
* Introduce congestion pricing on toll roads along with automated toll collection so cars don’t have to stop. Get private industry involved in toll roads.
Trains are fun at an amusement park, but in every day life, the car is still the way to go.