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Because to the New York Times only the Northeast exists. San Francisco Bay Area BART is having troubles- but I doubt we will be seeing federal dollars routed o

by jmount 10y ago

Because to the New York Times only the Northeast exists. San Francisco Bay Area BART is having troubles- but I doubt we will be seeing federal dollars routed our way. But by all means lets all worry about DC and NY.

ojbyrne 10y ago
It is called the "New York Times."
yompers888 10y ago
The author wrote what she knew. Better to stop short of some relevant instances than to make sweeping generalizations that you can't defend (especially if they turn out to be wrong.) So yes, by all means let's worry about the problems that we understand, rather than swinging in the dark at ones we've never seen or studied. On another note, have some faith in Silicon Valley. The enormous wealth of the area ties back to massive federal spending, and surely they still remember how to grab some money while it's being passed around.
basseq 10y ago
> The Federal Transit Administration found that public transit systems have a backlog of $86 billion in critical maintenance nationwide. I wonder how that backlog is allocated: e.g., how BART's backlog compares to NYC, Boston, and DC. DC and BART are about the same age (1972 vs. 1976), but DC has 68% more riders[1] and an operating budget that's almost double[2]. (So, yes, WMATA also spends more per rider.) Everyone's hurting for investment in general. [1] Weekday Daily Ridership from Wikipedia: 423,120 (BART) vs. 712,843 (WMATA). [2] FY16 Annual Operating Budgets: $900k (BART) vs. $1.8B (WMATA)
- infinite8s 10y ago
  You mean BART spends more per user.
  - basseq 10y ago
    No, not according to these numbers. $2,528 for WMATA vs. $2,127 for BART. (Operating budget divided by daily riders.)
- DrScump 10y ago
  But is that an apple to apple comparison? Operating budget means only so much -- it ignores major costs like pension and benefit obligations and debt service (BART is among the worst at both).
  - basseq 10y ago
    It's just a data point. I have no idea how they really compare, or which one is in "worse" shape. As a DC resident, I know the impending metro shutdown is going to be a disaster.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]

by jmount 10y ago

ojbyrne 10y ago

It is called the "New York Times."

yompers888 10y ago

The author wrote what she knew. Better to stop short of some relevant instances than to make sweeping generalizations that you can't defend (especially if they turn out to be wrong.) So yes, by all means let's worry about the problems that we understand, rather than swinging in the dark at ones we've never seen or studied. On another note, have some faith in Silicon Valley. The enormous wealth of the area ties back to massive federal spending, and surely they still remember how to grab some money while it's being passed around.

basseq 10y ago

> The Federal Transit Administration found that public transit systems have a backlog of $86 billion in critical maintenance nationwide. I wonder how that backlog is allocated: e.g., how BART's backlog compares to NYC, Boston, and DC. DC and BART are about the same age (1972 vs. 1976), but DC has 68% more riders[1] and an operating budget that's almost double[2]. (So, yes, WMATA also spends more per rider.) Everyone's hurting for investment in general. [1] Weekday Daily Ridership from Wikipedia: 423,120 (BART) vs. 712,843 (WMATA). [2] FY16 Annual Operating Budgets: $900k (BART) vs. $1.8B (WMATA)

infinite8s 10y ago
You mean BART spends more per user.
- basseq 10y ago
  No, not according to these numbers. $2,528 for WMATA vs. $2,127 for BART. (Operating budget divided by daily riders.)
DrScump 10y ago
But is that an apple to apple comparison? Operating budget means only so much -- it ignores major costs like pension and benefit obligations and debt service (BART is among the worst at both).
- basseq 10y ago
  It's just a data point. I have no idea how they really compare, or which one is in "worse" shape. As a DC resident, I know the impending metro shutdown is going to be a disaster.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]