Dukakis: Rail creates thriving cities

Says rail is only good answer

Steve Hawley, May 07, 09.

Urban rail investments lead to thriving cities, according to former presidential candidate and governor of Massachusetts Michael Dukakis, as quoted in a NY/NJ/CT Regional Plan Association article.

The article notes that Dukakis is a “rail man” who thinks that congestion pricing, Bus Rapid Transit, and HOV lanes are a waste of time. It states:

All this makes sense when you understand that Dukakis began his career in the 1960s essentially as a community activist from his neighborhood of Brookline, an inner city suburb, with the dominant issue the expressways with which planners wanted to eviscerate and strangle the city of Boston. Dukakis, as a town leader, congressman and then governor, helped stop the highways and then got funding to improve and extend the subways and commuter rail services.

“Now look,” Dukakis essentially said at the conference. Three decades later Boston is thriving, a city and metropolitan area for all to envy. It’s no accident. Basically, you get what you invest in. Spend your money on highways and airports, you get sprawl. Spend your money on subways, trolleys, commuter rail and inter-city rail, and you get dense, thriving compact places and cities that become springboards for economic development.

While Dukakis was glad that President Obama allocated $9.3 billion in stimulus money to rail, as well as an additional $5 billion over five years for further high-speed rail development, he noted that many states and local governments are unprepared to implement successful rail projects.

Dukakis hopes that by educating officials, local and state departments will be able to execute projects faster and for less money.