HOW THE MARKET REALLY WORKS
[A beautiful example of the privatization myth at work]
PAUL DUGGAN, WASHINGTON POST - A D.C. government report issued yesterday
describes the private management of parking meters in the city as a
financial waste, saying the outsourcing not only failed to save money
but drove up costs by nearly $9 million from 1999 to 2005.
The system is riddled with other problems as well, the report says.
Among the findings: The city improperly issued almost 7,000 tickets to
vehicles parked at broken meters in that seven-year span, while
residents' complaints about meters jumped from 3,652 in 1997, shortly
before privatization, to 89,840 in 2005. . .
ACS, which is paid based on parking meter revenue, sometimes got more
than it was entitled to, according to the auditor's findings, first
reported yesterday by the Washington Examiner. When meters along streets
are "bagged" with hoods because of construction, parades, funerals or
other events, the people or companies involved pay the city a fee. ACS
is not supposed to share in that money. However, from 1999 to 2005, the
report says, "ACS billed, and the District inexplicably paid ACS,
$644,952 in fees for bagged meter revenue.". . .
When the auditors examined paperwork related to meters along seven
sample traffic routes, ACS records showed that there were 1,906 meters
on those routes. But the auditors found only 1,236, of which 197 were
"completely inoperative." As for the 670 missing meters, "DDOT
management had no clue . . . how many had been removed from service, the
revenue implications of these removals, the reason for the removals or
how long the meters had been removed."
The report states that in 1993, the most profitable parking-meter year
of the decade before privatization, the city took in $13.2 million in
revenue against $1.1 million in expenses, for a net gain of $12.1
million -- a return of about $11 for each dollar spent. In the best year
under privatization, 2003, the return was $2.63 per dollar spent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2007/02/27/AR2007022702115_pf.html
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WHY URBAN TRANSIT WORKS. . .AND BUILDING MORE ROADS DOESN'T
RICHARD LAYMAN, URBAN PLACES AND SPACES - In one hour, one road-mile of
road-lane can accommodate about 2,000 cars on a limited access freeway,
and from 800 to 1,300 cars in various non-freeway situations.
The same lane mile can accommodate 6,750 people riding buses, 10,000
people riding bus rapid transit, a minimum of 15,000 people riding light
rail, and up to 65,000 people in heavy rail (subway).
The average suburban household makes 15 trips per day, most by
automobile, with limited numbers of additional passengers during each
trip. . .
In a city like San Francisco, as many as 60% of daily trips to the
Central Business District occur on transit. In Washington, upwards of
700,000 riders take the subway, and about 500,000 additional riders use
buses.
In the City of Washington, approximately 40% of resident households do
not own cars. (I don't know what the numbers are for Arlington County,
but they are probably similarly positive.)
Residents of the City of Washington and Arlington County, Virginia have
commuting times at or about the national average, while residents in the
other counties in the Washington region have commuting times
significantly higher than the national average.
It's reasonable to assume that this occurs in part because in the
region, Washington and Arlington enjoy the richest set of non-automobile
based transportation and mobility assets--plus in many areas, walkable
communities. . .
And while road capacity cannot (for the most part) be increased in a
traditional center city, there are many opportunities to increase the
capacity and efficiency of the transit and transportation "system".
ALSO: For every 10% increase in road miles, there is a 9% increase in
vehicle miles traveled.
http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2007/02/
washington-post-editorial-page-fails-to.html
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[A beautiful example of the privatization myth at work]
PAUL DUGGAN, WASHINGTON POST - A D.C. government report issued yesterday
describes the private management of parking meters in the city as a
financial waste, saying the outsourcing not only failed to save money
but drove up costs by nearly $9 million from 1999 to 2005.
The system is riddled with other problems as well, the report says.
Among the findings: The city improperly issued almost 7,000 tickets to
vehicles parked at broken meters in that seven-year span, while
residents' complaints about meters jumped from 3,652 in 1997, shortly
before privatization, to 89,840 in 2005. . .
ACS, which is paid based on parking meter revenue, sometimes got more
than it was entitled to, according to the auditor's findings, first
reported yesterday by the Washington Examiner. When meters along streets
are "bagged" with hoods because of construction, parades, funerals or
other events, the people or companies involved pay the city a fee. ACS
is not supposed to share in that money. However, from 1999 to 2005, the
report says, "ACS billed, and the District inexplicably paid ACS,
$644,952 in fees for bagged meter revenue.". . .
When the auditors examined paperwork related to meters along seven
sample traffic routes, ACS records showed that there were 1,906 meters
on those routes. But the auditors found only 1,236, of which 197 were
"completely inoperative." As for the 670 missing meters, "DDOT
management had no clue . . . how many had been removed from service, the
revenue implications of these removals, the reason for the removals or
how long the meters had been removed."
The report states that in 1993, the most profitable parking-meter year
of the decade before privatization, the city took in $13.2 million in
revenue against $1.1 million in expenses, for a net gain of $12.1
million -- a return of about $11 for each dollar spent. In the best year
under privatization, 2003, the return was $2.63 per dollar spent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2007/02/27/AR2007022702115_pf.html
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WHY URBAN TRANSIT WORKS. . .AND BUILDING MORE ROADS DOESN'T
RICHARD LAYMAN, URBAN PLACES AND SPACES - In one hour, one road-mile of
road-lane can accommodate about 2,000 cars on a limited access freeway,
and from 800 to 1,300 cars in various non-freeway situations.
The same lane mile can accommodate 6,750 people riding buses, 10,000
people riding bus rapid transit, a minimum of 15,000 people riding light
rail, and up to 65,000 people in heavy rail (subway).
The average suburban household makes 15 trips per day, most by
automobile, with limited numbers of additional passengers during each
trip. . .
In a city like San Francisco, as many as 60% of daily trips to the
Central Business District occur on transit. In Washington, upwards of
700,000 riders take the subway, and about 500,000 additional riders use
buses.
In the City of Washington, approximately 40% of resident households do
not own cars. (I don't know what the numbers are for Arlington County,
but they are probably similarly positive.)
Residents of the City of Washington and Arlington County, Virginia have
commuting times at or about the national average, while residents in the
other counties in the Washington region have commuting times
significantly higher than the national average.
It's reasonable to assume that this occurs in part because in the
region, Washington and Arlington enjoy the richest set of non-automobile
based transportation and mobility assets--plus in many areas, walkable
communities. . .
And while road capacity cannot (for the most part) be increased in a
traditional center city, there are many opportunities to increase the
capacity and efficiency of the transit and transportation "system".
ALSO: For every 10% increase in road miles, there is a 9% increase in
vehicle miles traveled.
http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2007/02/
washington-post-editorial-page-fails-to.html
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