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For better or for worse a lot of US progressives view transit as a "solution of last resort" which is why so many progressives are okay with transit also acting

For better or for worse a lot of US progressives view transit as a "solution of last resort" which is why so many progressives are okay with transit also acting as a homeless shelter and being tolerant of some drug use. One way to think of this is that progressives view government's role as a champion of the disenfranchised. Another is to think that the US is a class based society where transit is considered the domain of the disenfranchised, the lowest class. Which framing you choose is probably based on your experience and frustrations with your local US transit system. (I'm not trying to weigh in one way or the other in my comment, but as someone who rides local US transit regularly and has for over 10 years, my patience for using transit as a "solution of last resort" is wearing thin but still remains.)

gosub100 1y ago
I agree with you. This is why in newer public transit systems they will use honor-systems that don't actually prevent people from entering without paying. This encourages them to ride because its a "non-violent offense" so they won't be arrested, but if you or I rode without paying, we would have a criminal charge and possibly be arrested since they can claim they solved a crime without harming "disparaged groups" or whatever. So we have 2 classes of people: those who can ride for free and those who can't. The system I'm referring to is San Diego's light rail. The 2nd (and last) time I rode it I saw someone get assaulted on the train (and what appeared to be homeless people riding it). The first (and last) time I rode the MARTA train in Atlanta last year, I saw a homeless man passed out sitting in a puddle of his own urine. I will never use public transit again unless there are exigent circumstances. Liberals have completely ruined yet another thing that used to be great.

gosub100 1y ago

I agree with you. This is why in newer public transit systems they will use honor-systems that don't actually prevent people from entering without paying. This encourages them to ride because its a "non-violent offense" so they won't be arrested, but if you or I rode without paying, we would have a criminal charge and possibly be arrested since they can claim they solved a crime without harming "disparaged groups" or whatever. So we have 2 classes of people: those who can ride for free and those who can't. The system I'm referring to is San Diego's light rail. The 2nd (and last) time I rode it I saw someone get assaulted on the train (and what appeared to be homeless people riding it). The first (and last) time I rode the MARTA train in Atlanta last year, I saw a homeless man passed out sitting in a puddle of his own urine. I will never use public transit again unless there are exigent circumstances. Liberals have completely ruined yet another thing that used to be great.