Who?mikejones! said:
Austin is building a new rail line to the airport for a measly 724 million per mile, a distance of just over nine miles.
Currently our rail system carries 2% of total public daily commutes. 98% are done by buses.
I really think a rail system is just a check item on liberal politicians bucket list regardless if it actually solves any people moving problems. It doesnt move enough people to justify its cost and certainly hasn't made a dent in traffic
You are 100% correct. I dont know why, but Urban rails are something liberal-leaning people are in love with. I think maybe it's part of their panacea-dream, for a densely populated city that we're all crammed into. But they make zero sense in 90% of the country, with urban sprawl.
I actually dont mind rails/mass transit systems between a major airport and a city-center. If there was ever a need for them, this is it. I could understand the demand to commute a large amount of people back and forth to the airport, and city. But the cost of Austin's should've been a non-starter. You'll never justify that amount, regardless the demand.
The poster asked before 'what other city has mass transit and wants to end it?'. Austin is another. It's used sparingly, costs a fortune, and messes up traffic. A select few in local gov't love it, but the city, in general, hates them.