ghaff alluded to this, but there is also a disconnect between the cost at point of use and the sunk cost when it comes to cars. If you live somewhere where ther

ghaff alluded to this, but there is also a disconnect between the cost at point of use and the sunk cost when it comes to cars. If you live somewhere where there are poor transit options, you must buy a car. Once you own a car, each additional mile is cheap, considering the conveience - gas taxes be damned. It follows that converting a car-based city to a transit one necessarily takes away resources from the people who have sunk high costs into their acquisition of a car. That population almost always objects to transit-oriented development.