I took the California high speed rail money and put it into local buses instead. 8 years later, I stand by it.

Back in 2016, I was on a transit planning committee in Fresno. Everyone wanted to dump billions into bullet trains to LA and SF. I voted to redirect that cash into expanding our local bus network. Got called short sighted. But now we've got 40% more routes and ridership is up 25%. The train project is still stuck in lawsuits. Has anyone else seen big wins from boring local fixes instead of grand vision stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliverhernandez18d ago

People ALWAYS chase glamour projects when the boring stuff is what actually moves the needle. Your bus network is proof that reliable everyday transit beats a dream train that never runs. Reminds me how everyone wants a fancy new phone but nobody updates their cracked screen protector.

the_thea18d ago

And that cracked screen protector analogy is spot on, @oliverhernandez, but here's the thing I don't think anyone's talking about: the boring stuff is what actually makes the glamour projects possible in the first place. You can't build a shiny new train line if your bus network is so unreliable that nobody even gets to the station. It's like wanting a fancy new phone but refusing to update the operating system that makes it work. I see this all the time in transportation planning where people beg for a subway but don't want to fund the maintenance that keeps the existing bus fleet from breaking down. The cracked screen protector is basically the same problem it's the ugly but necessary thing that lets you enjoy the shiny new toy.

sean_cooper5818d ago

25% ridership bump in 8 years is no joke. That's real wins versus a train that's still stuck in court.