To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 02:08:58 -0500
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Transportation TANSTAAFL
From: ronkean at juno.com
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

On Mon, 9 Dec 2002 17:14:08 -0500 "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
writes:
>         Ron Kean stated that there is little civil enthusiasm for a
> free market in transportation.  I agree.  There seems to be a general
> societal consensus that government should be deeply involved in
> transportation planning and construction.  This consensus seems to be
worldwide and extend backwards for thousands of years.

Some long-time Washington area residents may remember the saga of O. Roy
Chalk and D.C Transit.  Chalk was an entrepreneur who was given the
franchise to operate Washington's bus system, called D.C. Transit.  Since
the enterprise was a government-granted monopoly, the bus fares were
subject to regulation by D.C.  All the political pressure was to keep
fares low, and Chalk could not make a profit without cutting corners.
The result was an ongoing flap wherein Chalk would be called to public
hearings to be lambasted about poor bus service while continually being
denounced by public officials, editorialists, and much of the public.
Eventually he just got tired of being everyone's whipping boy and gave up
the fight, and sold out to D.C.  That is how WMATA got its start.

Ron Kean

.

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