Recently the Los Angeles Transit workers are on Strike and the RTD is not operating, this happens every few years. This disrupts the flow of people on their way to get food, go to work, attend college or visit friends. When the flow of transportation is disrupted it hurts our trust in the integrity of the system and affects our lives. When you design a city and have a transportation system to support the population and then turn it off you cause chaos.
In Los Angeles they had a grocery store strike along with a transit strike. So going to the store to buy food is irrelevant, because they are not open and you can't get there anyway. Disruptions in flow hurt businesses in that their customers cannot get to them and their workers cannot come to work. This means businesses make less money, pay less taxes, might go out of business when times are already challenging and workers cannot get paid for working and therefore cannot pay their rents. Everyone loses.
This is why we need additional choices of transportation. Shuttles, Taxis, private cars, buses, trains, aircraft, ferries, etc. The more choices and the more competition the better prices, level of services and quality. This means people can get where they need to get to, in order to fulfill their needs and desires or pursue their dreams, goals and happiness. Having public transportation break down is as bad as having roads in disrepair. One problem we have also is the roads in this country need to get more attention. What I usually see is construction projects that take years on major freeways, block traffic, slow logistics and make families traveling wait. This costs society as it is blocking or bottle-necking the flow of transportation costing the efficiencies of trucking, which is already stressed with over regulation, high insurance costs and fuel costs.
Every small disruption that effects transportation has a rippling effect in the economy, what looks like a small fast moving wave turns into a Tsunami of Chaos in our Civilization.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs