Cato Makes The Case For Light Rail
Cato is a libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C. As a libertarian, anti-regulation, anti-government, anti-social programs-type outfit, we could reasonably expect Cato to oppose any and all public transit initiatives - whether bus, rail, whatever. It seems they may oppose rail more than bus.
Two articles written by a Cato person which I continue to see referenced by rail-haters across this great land are Light Rail Doesn’t Work and Light-Rail Systems Are A False Promise. The first article contains some often-cited material — mostly on libertarian- and Republican-leaning websites and blogs - it is quoted and packaged as the following:
5. Light rail benefits downtown property owners at the expense of property owners elsewhere.
A study funded by the U.S. Federal Transit Administration found that “rail transit investments rarely ‘create’ new growth, but more typically redistribute growth that would have taken place without the investment.” Such redistribution, the study found, was usually to downtowns from other parts of the city.
The FTA report they are referring to is this one, which was published about 13 years ago - that’s fine - studying these patterns requires lots of data over long periods of time. Here’s that often-referenced part of that FTA report:
Urban rail transit investments rarely “create” new growth, but more typically redistribute growth that would have taken place without the investment.
This, of course, is excellent news for transit-oriented development (TOD) proponents. Restated another way, that same report might say this:
Urban rail transit investments show a strong capacity for growth along its corridors - significantly reducing the myriad problems associated with urban sprawl.
So, I think TOD proponents owe a debt of gratitude to Cato for continuing to talk up the benefits of light rail.
[p.s. The Forums are open for participation.]
