Transit: The Engine of Economic Growth

This article is the executive summary from “Issue Paper No.5: Transit Means Business: The Economic Case for Public Transit in Canada.” The issue paper can be viewed at http://www.cutaactu.ca/en/issue_papers . The information was generated by a study commissioned in February 2003 to survey the economic benefit of public transit in Canada. Public transit was known to be a $3.2 billion business, excluding capital expenditures and economic spin-offs, but no one had attempted to measure the economic benefits. The report located a large amount of material on the subject, though much of it was scattered or out of date. Production inefficiencies in the overall economy could be eliminated or reduced with proper investment in transit. The relative benefits of investments in transit tend to increase with the size of the urban area that the system serves. The large groupings where benefits are seen are: economic activity and spending, increased labor mobility and access and mobility for other groups, and improvements in health and safety due to reduced traffic accidents and air pollution. Benefits in each area are identified and given monetary estimates.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08954437
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 34-36
• Serial:
  • Community Transportation
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Community Transportation Association
  • ISSN: 0895-4437

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: City planning; Economic growth; Financing; Public transit; Urban transit; Urban transportation policy
• Identifier Terms: Canadian Urban Transit Association
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01103872
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 30 2008 8:29AM