[*BCM*] MassBike Victory: MBTA Buses to Get Bike Racks

[Matthew Arcidy]

Enforcing fines CAN cost money (not sure if it actually does) because it
reflects the social benefit of having the fines in place (in an economic
fashion) ie, we as a whole value having fines at those levels at such and
such a net cost.  The cost could easily be positive or negative, depending
on the size of those fines.


On Mon, 26 Sep 2005, Thomas John Vitolo wrote:

> Quoting Lee Peters <lfpeters at gis.net>:
> 
> > Wait a second !  Parking enforcement costs money???  I captured 60
> > pictures of double parked automobiles in 3 hours, and I even ignored the
> > commercial vehicles.  Can I keep the $2700 that I could have made during that
> 3 hour period?
> > 
> 
> Slow down there... you've forgotten a number of things.
>  * Salary
>  * Benefits
>  * Infrastructure (tickets, uniforms, mailing system, payment processing system. etc
>  * Time requirements (time to give a ticket far exceeds time to shap a photo)
>  * The money from fines is not kept by the enforcement department.  IIRC, it
> goes into a general budget.  Therefore, the enforcement group is dependant on
> the legislature for funding.
> 
> 
> An increase in enforcement requires more money allocated than currently.  That
> boost (say, $250,000 worth) would only exist until that money being paid for
> overtime or more employees ran out.  Then, enforcement would be reduced.
> 
> Personally, I think more enforcement of parking regulations and traffic
> regulations are no brainers since they increase public safety at no total cost
> (if run efficiently).  I'm not really sure why it doesn't happen.
> 
>  - stomv
> 
> Support a few technologists in Washington.  Go to:
> http://actblue.com/list/stomv
> 
> > I am not flaming, is it possible that I a missing the big picture?
> > 
> > Those bus racks are great for flat tires and surprise rain storms or
> > when 
> > you are just too drunk to ride.  They are installed in Gainesville,
> > FL where 
> > I used them occasionally.
> > 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Thomas John Vitolo" <tjvitolo at bu.edu>
> > To: "Boston Critical Mass" <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> > Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 1:03 PM
> > Subject: Re: [*BCM*] MassBike Victory: MBTA Buses to Get Bike Racks
> > 
> > 
> > The flip side is that the money is being spent on a capital
> > improvement. 
> > That
> > is, once the money is spent, those racks will remain in service for a
> > long 
> > time.
> >  Sure, some time and money will be needed to maintain the racks
> > should they
> > break, transfer them from a retired bus to a new bus, etc.  But, in
> > general,
> > once the money is spent the improvement will be around for a long
> > time.
> > 
> > That's much different than, say, enforcing no parking in bike lanes. 
> > Once 
> > the
> > money is no longer being spent on enforcement, the old problems will
> > just 
> > come back.
> > 
> > So personally, I'd rather money is spent on capital improvements and
> > other
> > things that will have a small but long lasting impact on bicycle
> > quality in 
> > the
> > city.
> > 
> > 
> >   - stomv
> > 
> > Support a few technologists in Washington.  Go to:
> > http://actblue.com/list/stomv
> > 
> > Quoting Ari Pollak <ajp at aripollak.com>:
> > 
> > > Let's not also forget that some bus routes that go outside of
> > Boston
> > > &
> > > Cambridge travel routes that wouldn't normally be very safe to
> > ride
> > > on -
> > > narrow roads, highways, etc. So this would be a safer way of
> > > bypassing
> > > those areas.
> > > Granted, it seems like a lot of money to be spending on something
> > > that
> > > may not get such high usage, especially if they could spend that
> > > money
> > > to actually improve service.
> > >
> > > Rachel Elizabeth Dillon wrote:
> > > > There are a bunch of reasons this is a good thing, in my
> > opinion:
> > > >
> > > >  * It demonstrates a commitment to cyclists in that it's money
> > > going
> > > >    towards making the city more bike-friendly. While it may not
> > be
> > >
> > > >    what we would like to see most, it's something, and I think
> > it's
> > >
> > > >    a good thing.
> > > >
> > > >  * It's great for casual cyclists who may be trying to choose
> > > between
> > > >    driving somewhere and not doing so --- say you're trying to
> > go
> > > from
> > > >    Somerville to Waltham. You might say "I don't really want to
> > > walk
> > > >    15 minutes to the T, ride the T for 15 minutes, walk to a
> > bus
> > > stop,
> > > >    wait for the bus, ride the bus for a half hour, and then
> > walk
> > > to
> > > >    my destination.  I will drive." (This is even almost
> > > reasonable.)
> > > >    However, "I can bike to the bus stop, and then bike the bus
> > > route
> > > >    until it catches up with me, and then hop on" is much more
> > > >    appealing, and also encourages people to use mass transit.
> > > >
> > > >  * It's useful for people like me (and, presumably, many on
> > this
> > > list)
> > > >    who would be happy to just bike to Waltham as well. If you
> > > start
> > > >    feeling ill, get tired, find that the weather is more than
> > you
> > > >    bargained for, pop a flat and don't have your tools or, God
> > > forbid,
> > > >    get in an accident, you probably want to get to either your
> > > destination,
> > > >    a bike shop, or home, and trying to do that with a
> > > non-functioning
> > > >    bike or rider is very difficult. Being able to bring your
> > bike
> > > with
> > > >    you on public transit it always a good thing --- even if you
> > > only use
> > > >    it once a year, if every cyclist in the city uses it once
> > per
> > > year,
> > > >    that adds up.
> > > >
> > > >    (I got hit by a bus in Harvard Square a couple of months
> > ago,
> > > and
> > > >    was fine but my bike wasn't ridable; I was very happy I
> > could
> > > hop
> > > >    it on the T rather than just leave it locked up in a
> > > high-traffic
> > > >    area. Had I not been fifty feet from a Red Line stop, I
> > would
> > > have
> > > >    been in a lot more trouble.)
> > > >
> > > >  * It makes bikes more visible to drivers and people who use
> > mass
> > > transit.
> > > >
> > > > So, while I might like to see more money going into enforcing
> > "No
> > > parking
> > > > in bike lane" or something like that, I think this is valuable.
> > > >
> > > > But it's possible you were just trolling. :)
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