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Plans that spend

of the region's commuters who use transit

The lack of alternatives, sensitivity analyses,

(Table 1). But the Twin Cities' plan to spend

and transparency in the planning process

disproportionate

70 percent of the region's capital funds on

allows regional planning agencies to gloss over

amounts of

transit is far out of line with the 4.8 percent

the fact that many plans are not really about

money on transit

of commuters who take transit to work.

solving transportation problems. Instead, like

The transportation plan for St. Louis

Portland's, too many are about social engi-

or focus on

rejected the regional transit agency's proposal

neering--that is, changing people's behavior

controlling land

to spend $4.9 billion on light-rail lines and

by artificially increasing the costs of some

other capital improvements. The plan noted

kinds of transport while artificially reducing

use are relying on

that the transit agency's projected revenues

the costs of others. Even if the public support-

behavioral tools

could not even cover its operating costs, much

ed such behavioral modification, the plans

to modify

less the cost of light-rail expansion. The plan

provide no way of knowing whether it works,

added that county voters had rejected a tax

that is, whether the plans produce any mean-

people's trans-

increase needed to support transit operations

ingful changes in behavior and whether those

portation choices.

and that, even with that tax, the agency's rev-

changes are worth the cost.

enues would be insufficient to support the

Polls frequently show that urban residents

proposed expansions.70

consider traffic congestion to be one of the

most serious problems with living in American

With the exception of St. Louis, all regions

cities.68 As previously noted, the Texas Trans-

propose to spend a greater share of capital

funds on transit than the share of commut-

portation Institute estimates that congestion

ing carried by transit. Transit also costs more,

costs American commuters $78 billion per

year.69 Most metropolitan transportation plans

per passenger mile, to operate and maintain

than highways. Moreover, tax subsidies are

pay lip service, at least, to relieving congestion.

needed to cover more than 70 percent of

But few end up doing anything more than

transit capital and operating costs, while sub-

slowing the rate of increase in congestion, and a

sidies to highways total only about 12 per-

few won't even promise to do that.

cent of highway costs.71 So, in one sense, all

The presence of one or both of two indi-

cators can reveal if transportation planners

of the urban areas in Table 1 except St. Louis

are placing undue emphasis on behavioral

are spending too much on transit. But

tools. The first is the share of the region's

assuming that some basic level of support is

capital funds that planners propose to devote

needed for people who have no access to

to transit. The second is the emphasis plan-

autos, the really serious problems are in

ners place on regulating land use to achieve

regions that are spending more than about

transportation objectives.

20 percent of their funds on transit and are

spending several times more on transit than

An Overemphasis on Transit

transit's share of commuters.

New York is the only U.S. metropolitan

In deciding to spend a large share of its

planning area where transit carries more than

funds on transit, Salt Lake City used a scoring

15 percent of commuters to work. In only four

system to rank projects on the basis of conges-

other regions--Boston, Chicago, northern New

tion relief, cost effectiveness, safety, environ-

Jersey, and Washington--does transit carry

ment, and community factors. Several rail

more than 10 percent of commuters. Yet more

transit projects scored very high. However, a

than 30 metropolitan transportation plans--

state auditor found computational errors in

the process.72 Correcting the errors reduced

well over half of those for which data are avail-

able--propose to spend more than 20 percent

the ranking of one rail project from 2 to 19

of the region's capital funds on transit.

and a second project from 7 to 18, while sever-

New York's plan to spend 56 percent of

al highway projects were pushed ahead of

the region's capital funds on transit is not

those rail projects. Together, the two down-

significantly out of line with the 40 percent

graded projects absorbed 80 percent of state

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