In article , Mike Coslo
writes:

Here is my take on Public Transit, Larry:

Is public transit a good thing, or a waste of taxpayers money? Is the
subsidy of public transit a liberal plot to undermine America's core
values, or what? (hehe, kind of melodramatic there!)

The use of public transit, even when subsidized by government, is a
LOT
less than the amount of money that would be taken up by the construction
and maintenance of new highways that would be needed if everyone had to
use their own automobiles to get to work. These new roads would
eliminate valuable real estate from productivity, as well as the space
needed for parking the said automobiles. And guess where the money for
these new roads comes from? Taxes. Sometimes, ya just have to pay
*something*, I think.

All valid points, Mike.

Here are some mo

- increased pollution
- decreased transportation opportunities for those unable to drive for any
reason (the disabled, poor, underage, etc.)
- increased losses (life, injury, property damage) due to increased
road/highway traffic (the most dangerous form of transportation generally
used).

There is a particulate emission problem for diesel engines, but I
suspect that can be solved.

Fixable with improved technology. The overall pollution impact of a diesel is
*less* than that of a gasoline engine of equivalent horsepower-hours.

Probably the biggest problem in the past was
the lack of available fuel where we needed it. I don't think that is a
problem anymore, and I suspect that if fuel prices continue edging
upward, diesel may make a comeback.

I drove a diesel Rabbit from February 1980 to February 1997 and never, ever had
a problem finding fuel. The car had only a 10 gallon tank, and I rarely let it
get down below 1/4 full. That meant about 400 highway/300 city miles between
fillups, which cost $10 or so.

73 de Jim, N2EY