7 ms·

Do you know how the operating costs for BART compare to comparable systems in the US and internationally? And how cost of new construction compares? My gues

by nkurz 11y ago

Do you know how the operating costs for BART compare to comparable systems in the US and internationally? And how cost of new construction compares? My guess is that both costs are on the high side, but I don't know any details.

shalmanese 11y ago
US infrastructure construction is routinely 3 - 10x more expensive [1][2][3] on a like-for-like basis compared to other developed nations. This is one of the biggest facts that even well educated people seem completely unaware of, despite it foundationally shaping the debate around infrastructure investment. The primary cause appears to be the way the US solicits and manages infrastructure projects which leads to massive bloat and inefficiency. [1] https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/us-rail-construction-costs/ https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/us-r... [2] https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/comparative-subway-construction-costs-revised/ https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/comp... [3] http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2012-08-26/u-s-taxpayers-are-gouged-on-mass-transit-costs http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2012-08-26/u-s-taxpaye...
- dcposch 11y ago
  > US infrastructure construction is routinely 3 - 10x more expensive on a like-for-like basis compared to other developed nations. > The primary cause appears to be the way the US solicits and manages infrastructure projects which leads to massive bloat and inefficiency. This is depressing. What can we, as voters or political donors or investors or entrepreneurs, do to fix it? The US has well organized and effective political advocacy groups for a number of causes. For example, there's one whose sole focus is maximizing people's gun rights. We need one for ending bureaucratic bloat, corruption, rent seeking and pork. A group whose sole goal is to fix government so we can get projects done cleanly and on time and at reasonable cost.
  - shalmanese 11y ago
    The problem is this is one of those issues that democracy has a hard time handling because it affects many people diffusely but almost nobody acutely.

by nkurz 11y ago

shalmanese 11y ago

US infrastructure construction is routinely 3 - 10x more expensive [1][2][3] on a like-for-like basis compared to other developed nations. This is one of the biggest facts that even well educated people seem completely unaware of, despite it foundationally shaping the debate around infrastructure investment. The primary cause appears to be the way the US solicits and manages infrastructure projects which leads to massive bloat and inefficiency. [1] https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/us-rail-construction-costs/ https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/us-r... [2] https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/comparative-subway-construction-costs-revised/ https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/comp... [3] http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2012-08-26/u-s-taxpayers-are-gouged-on-mass-transit-costs http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2012-08-26/u-s-taxpaye...

dcposch 11y ago
> US infrastructure construction is routinely 3 - 10x more expensive on a like-for-like basis compared to other developed nations. > The primary cause appears to be the way the US solicits and manages infrastructure projects which leads to massive bloat and inefficiency. This is depressing. What can we, as voters or political donors or investors or entrepreneurs, do to fix it? The US has well organized and effective political advocacy groups for a number of causes. For example, there's one whose sole focus is maximizing people's gun rights. We need one for ending bureaucratic bloat, corruption, rent seeking and pork. A group whose sole goal is to fix government so we can get projects done cleanly and on time and at reasonable cost.
- shalmanese 11y ago
  The problem is this is one of those issues that democracy has a hard time handling because it affects many people diffusely but almost nobody acutely.