Policy in the USA!
I’m going to attempt to make this vomitacious thought explosion be marginally more coherent than a simple stream of conshy. Perhaps I’ll even raise interesting questions along the way. Btw, the title of the post is supposed to be sung like the hook in the “smash hit” Miley Cyrus song “Party in the USA”. And yes, I realize how ashamed I should feel for saying that. And yes, I do.
So, quint-annual extortion plot devised by SEPTA union managers is underway. Yes, I’m talking about Union Jack 1234 of Philadelphia- currently on strike. No buses, subways, trolleys, no options (luckily the commuter rail is still running or there would have been almost too much drama for even this writer to handle)! Whichever side of the fence you are on (pro or no) for unions, it definitely raises the question of the sustainability of mass transit systems in America. Sustainability as in financial business models and even human capital retention/available workforce. Allowing industries to go on strike that play a crucial role in how we function is either a fantastic bargaining chip for a union or dangerous for the populous it effects- especially given that it’s not an industry that can be ignored. By it’s titular admission, it’s the Transportation Authority. It authorizes if I can transportize myself places like…to work or to vote.
It doesn’t help that transit constantly fights to stay in the black when it comes to operating budgets and maintenance. Hi CTA.
I know that I don’t have a solution for these problems right now (ask me in 5 years though and I will). But as transit agencies have many more tangible moving parts than the vilified highway system, its financial and workforce problems challenges, are that much more noticeable. You rarely hear the arguments of “that bridge is losing money” or “that interstate is too expensive, let’s not use it anymore”, because (and I argue) any financial problems challenges associated with those infrastructural forms are seen as a state or federal problem and aren’t immediately attributed to a specific entity. There are less moving parts to those systems, yes, but many of the parts not attached to them like contractors or road builders, can be bid out, whereas transit authorities have to use their in-house staff. Does that make sense?
So, my recommendation, not having yet taken a transportation policy course anywhere, would be to allow an outside entity to allow a re-evaluation of union rights as it pertains to the transportation industry, and a re-evaluation of our regional and national transportation priorities that regularly put these transit agencies in these dire circumstances. Fortunately, it appears that Barry, I mean, President Obama, has given fresh attention to transportation priorities that don’t favor one mode of tranportation over a more inclusive culture of transit choice.
SIDEBAR: Oh, and for all of my reader(s) out there, what lecture/event do I go to? They’re on the same day. One is a community meeting with local politicians in the suburbs that will be focusing on retro-fitting a commercial corridor to accommodate pedestrians, cars, and hopefully establish design standards to create a more attractive suburban district. The other is a scholarly lecture on energy sustainability and how that effects transportation systems.
