How Much Would Rail Help?

[kjb434]

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USA Urban Areas: Roadway and

Mass Transit Market Share by Density

URBAN AREAS OVER 500,000

Urban Population Density Roadway Market Share (Person Miles) Mass Transit Market Share

Over 5,000* 96.5% 3.5%

4,000 - 4,999 98.3% 1.7%

3,000 - 3,999 98.3% 1.7%

2,000 - 2,999 99.2% 0.8%

Under 2,000 99.3% 0.7%

Average 98.8% 1.2%

Exhibit: Over 5,000 without New York 98.0% 2.0%

Average without New York 98.9% 1.1%

Estimated from US Census, FHWA and FTA Data:

2002 Market Share, 2000 Population Density

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This chart was found on the website below:

Public Purpose

Pretty interesting including looking at New York.

Have fun discussing!

[kjb434]

hey,

I tried editing the table. Didn't work too well.

First column is the population density, second is roadway market share (cars), and their is mas transit market share.

[The Voice of University Oaks]

Public Purpose is the website of anti-rail charlatan Wendell Cox. Take everything you see there with a grain of salt.

[kjb434]

Good point. I just found it and wanted to share it. It did reference some government sources though.

Thanks for the info.

This thread can be close now if the moderator so chooses.

[RedScare]

The annoying thing about statistics such as those, is that they mean absolutely nothing. They compare apples to oranges. For instance, Houston has 7.5 miles of rail and hundreds of miles of freeway, yet some anti-rail critic will point out only 1% of Harris County's population uses rail - so what, it means nothing.

Not blasting you, kjb, just the perpetrator of the chart.

[kjb434]

understood. I understand that the statistic for Houston would be fair at all.

New York was one that would surprise me.