nearly four times as many points as new high-
travel time by auto, transit, or nonmotorized
modes."46 Like walkability, this is an input,
way lanes. Interestingly, the highest number of
points is scored by projects "eligible for feder-
not an output.
al and state funding."50 In other words, if
Other terms, such as sustainable, livable, and
multimodal, are code words, and in most cases
someone else will pay for it, it doesn't matter
they are codes for the same thing: alternatives
what the project is, Nashville will build it.
to the automobile. "Sustainability" is often
Nashville's scoring system makes the biases
used to mean nonpetroleum-based transporta-
of regional planners readily apparent. Most
tion. "Livability" often means designing cities
transportation plans do not include such a
for pedestrians and cyclists, not autos. "Multi-
scoring system, which helps to hide whatever
modalism" means spending money on any
biases planners may have. As will be shown
transportation mode except for autos even if
below, many plans still spend far too much
most people continue to use autos.
money on forms of transport that move very
Part of the problem is that Congress has
few people, indicating that the biases of
required planners to include or consider a num-
Nashville's planners are shared by many other
ber of vague goals, including supporting eco-
metropolitan transportation planners.
nomic vitality, enabling global competitiveness,
Forecasts and sensitivity analyses. Nearly all
promoting energy conservation, and accessibil-
plans contain at least some forecasts of pop-
ity.47 Having set the precedent by requiring
ulation growth and future travel demands.
Few describe how reliable the travel forecasts
unquantifiable, vague, and/or conflicting goals,
might be. No plan reported that planners did
Congress has effectively encouraged planners
any sensitivity analyses to deal with question-
to add more such goals of their own.
able assumptions and forecasts.
Most plans offer little hint as to how plan-
Project listings with benefits and costs. Most
ners account for the tradeoffs between these
plans listed projects that would take place
goals. But the plan for Nashville includes a
under the proposed plan. Some plans includ-
system of scoring projects that provides a
ed additional projects that planners consid-
revealing glimpse into planners' priorities.
ered desirable but for which no funding was
The most important scores include the fol-
available.
lowing:
Typically, the metropolitan planning orga-
ˇ Public transit capital improvements--21
nizations compiled these lists by asking state,
regional, and local transportation agencies for
points
ˇ
lists of the projects they would like to complete
Has a positive impact on transit--9
in the next 20 years or so. The Jacksonville plan
points
ˇ
calls this the "wish list."51 MPOs rarely, if ever,
HOV use--4 points
ˇ
add alternative projects to the list.
Travel demand management (carpool-
The Nashville
In most cases, the wish lists ended up
ing, vanpooling, etc.)--9 points
ˇ
plan scores transit
being far more expensive than the total
Bike/pedestrian facilities--8 points
ˇ
financial resources available to the region.
New highway lanes--8 points
projects four
ˇ
That puts the MPO in the position of having
Congestion pricing--2 points
ˇ
times higher than
to determine which projects will get funded
Eligible for federal and state funding--
50 points48
and which will not. That decision is really the
highway projects
essence of the long-range plan.
even though less
This process is open to abuse. If we
The Census Bureau says that nearly 97 per-
than 1.5 percent
assume that government agencies regard tax
cent of all Nashville-area commuters get to
dollars as a common-pool resource, then
work by car, while less than 2 percent walk or
of Nashville
they will have an incentive to submit lengthy
bicycle and less than 1.5 percent take transit to
commuters take
work.49 Yet bike-pedestrian facilities score the
wish lists and may have an incentive to pro-
pose expensive solutions (such as rail transit)
same as new highway lanes, and transit scores
transit to work.
10