Name - Krish Vashist

Socials Exploration 11

The Influence of Cultural Assumptions on North American Public Transportation

Public transportation is a crucial system of shared services like buses and trains, playing

a vital role in enhancing accessibility, and promoting sustainable transportation options. As

evidenced in the section readings, the advent of streetcars revolutionized urban transportation,

enabling city residents to live farther away from their workplaces. However, public transportation

in the United States has long faced numerous challenges. This thought-provoking article "The

Real Reason American Public Transportation is Such a Disaster" sheds light on the underlying

factors that have contributed to this crisis (Stromberg). This article argues that the American

public system lags behind its European, Asian, and Canadian counterparts in terms of ridership

levels, service hours, and frequency, despite higher levels of subsidy from public tax dollars.

This predicament can be attributed to several factors like the perception of public transportation

as a social welfare program, the pervasive auto-centric culture, and the chronic

underinvestment in infrastructure.

The perception of public transportation as a social welfare program has shaped its

development and funding in the United States. Unlike European, Asian, and Canadian cities that

view public transit as a vital public utility, many American policymakers tend to perceive it as a

means of assisting those who cannot afford private vehicles. According to the article “viewing

public transportation as welfare…” rather than a vital transportation function that helps improve

the US public transportation system (Stromberg, 2015, p. 8). This argument resonates with me,

as I believe that viewing public transportation as a welfare service can hinder the necessary

support needed by the government. This can be proven, as in Canadian cities, the government

has perceived public transportation as a vital component of a well-functioning city, thus these

regions are able to garner the greater good of public transportation. In contrast, American
politicians perceive transit systems as tools for political gain and as means of providing aid

programs to poor people. Consequently, this mindset has resulted in a detrimental cycle

characterized by low fares and diminished service. I think it is crucial to alter this perception and

for lawmakers in the United States to adopt a different perspective, drawing lessons from Asian

and European nations. Such a shift has the potential to bring about positive societal

transformations.

The advent of an auto-centric culture, which initially emerged as a revolutionary

phenomenon, has had a profound and far-reaching negative impact on public transportation.

According to the article, the historical development of American cities and suburbs after the

1950s, when the car became the dominant mode of transportation, is often cited as a

contributing factor to the challenges faced by public transportation (Stromberg, 2015, p. 6). The

author further says that the newer American cities are filled with cul-de-sacs instead of tight

grids, making it harder for buses to travel which prominently led to the decline of public

transportation. I think that the structure of cities stopped public transportation from advancing to

reach its potential. Notably, in the section reading on "Rapid Transportation," the author points

out the prevalent image of commuters battling traffic behind the wheel of a car, underscoring the

reliance on private transportation over public transit in North America, particularly the United

States. Even the government has prioritized roads and highways over transit as the members of

the Senate decided “... to demolish urban neighborhoods to build highways”(Stromberg, 2015,

p. 9). This highlights a concerning lack of foresight on the part of the government. The article

also highlights the car-centric nature of American infrastructure, which detrimentally affects the

public transportation system. Comparatively, countries like Canada and Germany offer valuable

lessons for the United States, with Canada placing a stronger emphasis on public

transportation. The author notes that Canadian cities with similar populations to American cities

have greater public transport services per capita (Stromberg, 2015, p. 1). Despite being
primarily designed for automobile usage, numerous newer cities in Western Canada made

separate investments in the development of light rail lines and high-quality bus services.

American cities can learn from these examples to improve their public transportation systems.

Furthermore, the auto-centric culture perpetuated a cycle of limited investment in public

transportation infrastructure. With a collective emphasis on expanding road networks and

accommodating private cars, funding for public transit projects was often overlooked or

insufficient. This lack of investment further hindered the development and expansion of public

transportation systems, exacerbating the challenges faced by commuters who sought reliable,

efficient, and sustainable alternatives to driving. “There are other quirks of American politics that

have arguably led us to underinvest in transit” (Stromberg, 2015, p. 10). This clearly shows that

they were unwilling to spend funds on public transit as they often thought of it as a social

program for the urban poor. This led to low wages for workers and low services. I agree with the

author on this point because underinvestment hurts the frequency and reliability of public transit.

It is essential to overcome the political challenges associated with investing in public transit. In

the United States, public transportation has become a politically charged issue, often facing

resistance from conservatives who perceive it as a social program. To overcome this, a

cooperative approach is needed, where both sides of the political spectrum recognize the

benefits of efficient and sustainable public transit systems. In my opinion, the author's

comparison to different Canadian cities explains the amount of underinvestment that has been

done by the American government. Such comparisons provide a benchmark against which

American efforts can be evaluated and highlight the need to bridge the investment gap.

In conclusion, the state of public transportation in North America is heavily influenced by

cultural assumptions that have hindered its development and effectiveness. The perception of
public transportation as a social welfare program, rather than a vital transportation function, has

limited government support and led to a cycle of low fares and reduced service. Additionally, the

pervasive auto-centric culture, which prioritizes private vehicles and infrastructure, has further

marginalized public transit and contributed to chronic underinvestment in its infrastructure.

These cultural assumptions have created a detrimental cycle that perpetuates the challenges

faced by public transportation systems in the United States. To address these issues the United

States policymakers need to understand the importance of public transportation and make it a

priority by allocating sufficient resources and investment to its development.