Traffic in Clark County is getting worse. Clark County politicians are biased against mass transportation. Many people commute to Oregon and get stuck in traffic. Many of those would not be on the road if we had light rail. Think what traffic will be like in the next 100 years.
American economic trends predict an escalating proportion of people working low-wage jobs, preventing car ownership, thus limiting access to employment. Lobbyists control our Legislature.
When people can’t earn a living wage, they end up needing aid. With an efficient mass transit system, people have cheaper access to more jobs on either side of the river. When planned appropriately, light rail, which is faster than bus, could be connected to express bus routes — speeding up the commute.
Mass transit has many advantages. Light rail and express bus service increase employment access, decrease pollution, decrease street maintenance costs, eliminate parking costs, stimulate development around stops (and therefore jobs), and bring people to recreational opportunities, such as the planned waterfront development in Vancouver.
