Public Transportation and Smart Growth

Last edited Mon Jun 30, 2025, 08:47 AM - Edit history (1)

One of the reasons that New York City’s mass transit systems are still in such a mess is because of deferred maintenance going back decades. While much of it is due to “Conservative” (reactionary) hostility to blue states and blue cities, part of it is due to older policies pursued by liberals and well-meaning progressives by paying for keeping the fares down by skimping on maintenance (The famous nickle fare was one example). The idea of low fares is progressive-sounding and well-meaning, but engineering projects need to be maintained and that costs money. This is a truism that neither right-wing fans of “choking the libs” nor certain well-meaning progressives have never learned.