Earlier, Dave Wetzel wrote:
> Similarly "free fares" in a Town or City will increase land values
Out of interest, is there a citable source of evidence for that?
> In addition, individuals would be encouraged to use the public transport
> system instead of their cars.
Within the USA, perhaps. And conceivably in Australia too. But within
Europe, low-cost or free public transport primarily draws people away
from walking and cycling, rather than from the car. And that's to the
detriment of the transport system, and society, as a whole.
See, for example, the Dutch experience with free rail travel for
students, which marked a real struggle to maintain their excellent
record of lifelong bicycling among the population; and the London Buses
survey from a couple of years ago, which showed that the increased bus
patronage in London 2000-2003 had *not* come from the car.
It's an interesting debate, but I guess this list is probably not the place.
Regards,
Andrew Smith
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