Safety concerns add to the longstanding issues that discourage people from using public transit: how long trips take, the inconvenience of getting to a station and delays or interruptions. It doesn't help that some transit agencies are not being managed very well.
Some typical benefits include universal accessibility for most citizens in the city, the absence of car maintenance fees, and being able to lower a community's pollution. Some of the drawbacks, however, include congested trains and buses, and erratic arrival and departure schedules.
Public transit is a vital force for the American economy. The American Public Transportation Association estimates that 87% of trips directly benefit the local economy, with $1 invested in public transit believed to generate $5 in economic returns.
Public transportation gets people where they're going while emitting far fewer climate-warming greenhouse gases than private cars. The reason is simple efficiency: while cars usually carry just one or two people at a time, a bus can carry 50 or more, and a train in a large city may carry thousands.
Public Transportation Reduces Air PollutionApproximately 85% of the greenhouse gas emissions that come from transportation are due to day-to-day commutes. By leaving the car at home, a person can save up to 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every day.
Transportation also leads to noise pollution, water pollution, and affects ecosystems through multiple direct and indirect interactions. With the continuous growth in transportation, increasingly shifting to high-speed transportation modes, these externalities are expected to grow.
Trams cannot go around obstacles, they don't mix well with bikes, they take up too much space and “they cost a fortune,” as Washington DC can tell you.
Dedicated Infrastructure Is WastedBut high-speed rail lines can only move people, making them far less cost-effective. To save energy, high-speed rail cars are far lighter than conventional rail cars and cannot be safely used on the same tracks as frequent heavy freight trains.