Making Transit Work Insight from Western Europe, Canada, and the United States -- Special Report 257 (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
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The focus is on comparing the largest industrialized countries of Northern and Western Europe, as well as Canada, because their economic, social, and political conditions are most like those of the United States. The comparisons provide insight into why public transit is used more in Western Europe and Canada, as well as icteas on how to increase rictership in the United States.
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As central cities lost households, jobs, and shopping places, transit use fell sharply. Not until the mid- 1 960s, however, did the diminishing fortunes of American cities and the intertwined fate of transit attract national attention, precipitating largescale federal ant!
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Today transit operators in the United States continue to face significant challenges in attracting and retaining riders. However, transit still plays an important role in the transportation systems of many large American cities, serving suburban commuters and city residents alike.
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By all measures, the automobile remains less convenient and more costly to operate in Western Europe than in the United States, especially in cities. High levies on motor fuel—several times higher than in the United Statesand high parking charges and taxes on motor vehicles continue to make car ownership and use expensive.
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· Vehicle locator systems Comfort, Safety, and Convenience of Service · Amenities at transit stops and stations · Clean vehicles and knowledgeable drivers · Convenient ticket purchasing places · Sidewalks leading to stations and secure, lighted waiting areas · Uniform and simplifier! fare structures across area transit modes · Discounted transit passes tailored to individual rider needs · Widespread publication of schedules and co~or-cocled matching of buses and lines · Special taxi service options to extend and complete the transit network Means of Making Transit Competitive with Private Automobiles · High automobile taxes · High motor fuel taxes · Parking limits in city centers and uniform policies on an areawide basis Continued ~
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By comparison, land use planning is very much a local responsibility in the United States, and it is seldom well coordinated with regional transportation planning. With such diffuse controls, it is clifficult to foster urban development patterns that promote public transit use by raising densities and introducing mixed commercial and residential land uses.
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suburban development and precipitous declines in transit use. In contrast with the United States, however, the Canadian provinces and cities made concerted efforts to improve transit services.
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Still, there is ample opportunity for transit to play a more prominent role in the urban transportation system of the United States. Although it is unreasonable to expect American transit use to rise to Western European levels, there are many places in the United States that are now well suites!
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They clo, however, offer insights into ways of making transit a more effective and attractive alternative for urban travel.
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