Re:How Cuts in Basic Subway Upkeep Can Make NYC Commutes Mis...
by Larrikin on Thursday December 21, 2017 @11:24PM
(#15985266)
I actually have no problem with it. I enjoy going out to bars and drinking and in the US that's my main use case for the subway late at night. But I've also seen around the world how proper continuous maintenance can make public transportation clean and almost a joy to ride. I'm willing to give up some of my fun for a better system that runs smoothly. NYC has the largest system in the US, but DC had one of the best and their lack of maintenance has nearly destroyed it. Subways are barely profitable as is, but I would never want to live in a city without one. I find the weekend schedule in Europe and the night owl system to be a pretty fair compromise for something that will benefit everyone as opposed to just wanting it open for my own selfish reasons.
The MTA is exceptional among American institutions in receiving this level of trust in large part because it's neutral. Sure, you can only move around at the government's whim, but the government is happy to take you anywhere at any time.
If it starts to get moralizing and opinionated, i.e. "you don't really need to go out drinking at night," that trust will evaporate rapidly. As it should.
Systems that merely augment car cultures, or that serve collectivist societies which already trust government with even greater degrees of control over their lives, are not useful precedents. New York is basically singular in getting Americans to surrender to central planners so thoroughly.