Using the Lowly Bus to Address Spatial Injustice
In reading Edward Soja’s text The City and Spatial Justice, I found the discussion regarding public transportation’s role in spatial injustice fascinating. Soja uses the example involving the Bus Rider’s Union (BRU) in LA in the 90s to demonstrate how inequality in infrastructure spending can discriminate against the lower class. The (BRU) was able to change the city’s plan to prioritize light rail over buses by legally proving it was discriminatory. They proved that buses were carrying approximately 94% of the city’s ridership but received less than one third of the funding. 71% of the funding went to rail transit which only served 6% of its ridership. The issue that 1990s LA faced is something cities all over the world deal with:
Streetcars and light rail are sexier and more alluring than buses, but they are extremely expensive and favor the well off.
Maybe it makes people feel more sophisticated and European, but light rail and streetcars are all the rage in public transportation discussions across the county. The bus is not viewed as forward thinking enough. The reality is, however, the bus can be much more effective per dollar in moving people of all income levels around a much wider area . Additionally, whether we like it or not, roads aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. According to the Transportation Research Board and data from the Federal Highway Administration, we built 28,500 miles of new highway and arterial lanes between 2010 and 2019. Compare this to the measly 1,200 miles of public transit, which includes bus rapid transit, we’ve added in the same time period. Should we seek to change this? Absolutely, but the amount of roads in this country is a reality and a resource that can be leveraged instead of ignored.
I want to clarify, bus rapid transit (BRT) is more than just dumping buses into regular traffic lanes mixed with passenger cars. Transportation by bus works best when they have dedicated roads or lanes as well as priority at intersections. It’s been successful in cities like Bogota, whose BRT system TransMilenio has grown its daily ridership from 800,000 in 2000 to 2.4 million in 2018. Cleveland’s BRT HealthLine has also proven to be successful, with estimates of close to $6 billion in development along the line, an incredible investment considering its initial price tag of just $50 million. My argument is that per dollar, we can serve a more diverse group of people more efficiently utilizing BRT. Therefore it should be seriously included in a region's comprehensive plan for transportation that includes cars, light rail, buses, trains, and more.
Web resources:
https://www.kcet.org/history-society/from-bus-riders-union-to-bus-rapid-transit-race-class-and-transit-infrastructure-in
https://www.wired.com/2013/10/bus-lines-investment/
https://www.cleveland.com/news/erry-2018/11/149927818e3851/rta-says-healthline-had-10year.html
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/01/08/too-little-too-late-a-decade-of-transit-investment-in-the-u-s/
This is a great topic, and really well put, Phil. You obviously did a lot of research regarding the topic seeing as you have included your web resources. I think this is very interesting to think about and your research defends it well, BRT is obviously more efficient per dollar. Regarding the average persons desire to take light rail/street car versus BRT, I think you made some good points. Why might people prefer those? Light rail obviously gets people places quicker than a bus would as it has dedicated railway where people are able to really judge their time of commute, versus a bus that has to deal with street lights and bad drivers. But I think your point about it being "hip" is relevant as well. Buses are not maintained in the same fashion as light rail and street car, and why? I think that bus systems need to be more focused on and maintained at a similar rate of the other means of transportation. Especially in places that dont have light rail or street cars to compete with Buses.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cam, this post is very well researched and written! You mentioned the idea that buses aren't as appealing as other means of transportation. I think this is a key social problem that needs to be turned around. People are afraid or uncomfortable riding the bus because they come in contact with low income citizens that might have mental issues, might ask for money, or might (the most likely case) mind their own dang business. It's a shame that society divides itself in this way and I think it could come down to educating people on the value of using the BRT system. I can personally say that this was my opinion of using the BRT back in Cincinnati during undergrad. Long story short, after I rode the bus once and told my family how great it was, they were so worried that I wasn't being safe, which is ridiculous! But I wonder how many other people have a similar stigma of the bus system simply because they don't understand it or haven't tried it for themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn the U.S., the automobile has been romanticized to the detriment of public transportation. In England, on the other hand, public transport has been normalized and even romanticized through many poster campaigns... I have a poster titled "The Lure of the Underground) hanging in my home. This is an area where public leaders (perhaps with encouragement from city planners) could make a difference without redesigning whole cities.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea of re-branding the bus in the US. For our current transportation system, it doesn't make sense to invest in subways, rail systems when buses are faster, cheaper and easier to put in place and change.
DeleteI certainly agree - cars have been so romanticized and cities continue to be built around cars which is obviously creates a divide in socio-economic circles. Like Cindy said, this is an area where public leaders could definitely make a difference, perhaps give more incentives for using public transportation and adding bus only lanes. I feel like until the authorities fully back public transit for people of all economic backgrounds, it's going to be hard for public transit to fully work for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI like how you also touched on how cultural the perception of riding the bus is. It is significant that the perception of the types of people who are bus users has adverse an effect on people who might choose to use it, a perception that is problematic on many fronts. For one it's an elitist generalization of the types of people who would ride a bus, and it is not even accurate assessment. Negative perception of riding the preventing people from using them will cut down their revenue and ability for them to sustain.
ReplyDeleteI agree that cars have become considered "necessary" due the perceived freedom that they allow, but a well organized and accessible transportation system would offer even more freedom and reduce the burden of car ownership.
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