Fare-free public transit benefits the community in so many ways.. One important social and economic benefit is that it contributes directly to affordable housing.
Both increased transit use and transit-oriented development (TOD) significantly lower household costs when families can reduce the need for one or two cars. According to the American Automobile Association, the annual cost of owning and maintaining a car is $10,728 and rising.
Since TOD can also result in higher property values near transit stops, some say we should discourage TOD. On the contrary. without TOD fare-free transit benefits only those who live near existing transit stops or who can drive to them. Furthermore, there are ways to mitigate property inflation including community land trusts.
Fortunately, the city’s Move Tucson transportation plan expands TOD to more parts of the community. Let’s then make our fare-free transit policy permanent.
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Robert Cook
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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