Editor,
Steve Greenberg and Brian Kelly’s editorial “Mass Transit: ‘No’ to a tax increase” was disappointing and, frankly, short sighted. The question that should be asked is not whether to fund mass transit, the question should be what is the best method to move people around central Indiana? Factors to consider absolutely include cost but also quality of life (such as time spent sitting in traffic) and environmental factors.
Rail, bus and even bicycles all are viable options. Your editorial explicitly states that cars are the only option for transportation. Why do you think that we should not have any other options and that highways are the cheapest form of transportation? Bus, light rail and bicycling infrastructure improve quality of life and are often more efficient and lower cost options.
If you had lived 100 years ago, surely you would have said forget about building highways, spend money to repair hitching posts. If now is not the time for mass transit, when is?
Your editorial does not consider a shred of data and implies that we should never consider mass transit. It is time that we have more cost effective and efficient transportation solutions than simply to put every dime of transportation investment into highways.
David Schweikert
46060