In the United States, the public transit system is woefully inefficient.
According to an article, “Why Public Transportation Is So Limited in the U.S.,” on truth-out.org, the reasoning lies in the layout of our cities. The country has almost three times the number of railways as Russia. However, Russia has a very sophisticated public transit system.
Moscow alone services 7 million people on its train network. The only city in the U.S that comes close is New York City. New York City takes an entire week to reach that number, however.
All major cities in Russia are connected by train networks. This makes it possible to travel anywhere in the country without needing a personal vehicle.
Russia’s economy has grown from the use of public transit. The United States, however, has not jumped on the bandwagon. Suburban sprawl is the major cause of the lack of public transit.
The commuter companies must build more infrastructure and go further to reach the same amount of people. Therefore, the transit companies do not see a benefit in going farther out from the city center.
The majority of Americans drive cars, with 61 percent having never used public transit.
Although most people oppose taxes, they can be very useful in this scenario. Fuel or the use of cars could be taxed. Free parking could also be eliminated. However, with the tax revenue, public transit could be revitalized. The transit systems in the United States could be revamped and be more accessible than ever.
Cars are handy, but their use causes a lot of air pollution in our cities. In order to keep our air clean and improve the logistics of travel in our cities, public transit needs to be improved. Traffic jams could be a thing of the past. Auto accidents would be few and far between. The benefits are endless.
The tax does not take money from the consumer, it organizes it to be used for something that provides a benefit for everyone.
BRAD HOLBEN
Waterville
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New crop of leaders a necessity
Keith Burris’ column “The need for young blood,” regarding fiscal flip-flopping, was 50 percent on the money.
However, in order for our city council “to offer creative, effective ideas,” we need forward-thinking, gutsy individuals to bring them forward.
Past leaders of the city, like former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, need to share their insight with the young, bright, and energetic individuals who are ready and willing to serve our community.
We need to do everything we can to ensure our upcoming leaders do just that — lead. Let’s make sure we bring them along and then have the courage to step aside and beam with pride for a job well done.
ELAINE M. HILL
Coral Avenue
Powell helped create memories
I truly loved The Blade’s April 18 article on Mary Alice Powell, “A true original.”
I always loved her recipes, especially tomato pudding. I always looked forward to The Blade recipe contests back in the 1970s. My kids always cringed when that time of year came around as they were my guinea pigs for the taste test.
I made every cook-off for years. It was a great time. I got lots of new recipes, and Mary Alice was fun to be around. I still look forward to her Sunday articles.
BARBARA MEYERS
Oregon
First Published April 23, 2017, 4:00 a.m.