to celebrate Giant’s world series victory BART carried many passengers
http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2012/news20121031.aspx?source=hp
so do many cities need a comprehensive subway system ?
We can thank Andy Jackson for giving us the philosophy that opposes government sponsorship of “internal improvements.” He argued that all of the people should not be taxed for projects that directly benefit only a few. Of course the flaw in his argument is that indirect benefits are so wide spread that everyone winds up better of because of the internal improvement. It is true that some benefit more than others. But John Kennedy observed that “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
So plenty of places that would benefit from new or improved public transit systems won’t get them despite the fact that all would be better off because of them.
However, we still fight wars over the petroleum products we need to feed our dependency on automobiles.
I go to San Francisco five or six times a year. Whilst there I use BART as well as the F line streetcars and the Nos. 47 and 49 buses. It a reasonably good system, although it is not a good idea to use it late at night.
Calling BART a subway may be a stretch; most of it runs at or above ground level. Only the portion of the system that runs under Market Street could be considered a subway.
Public transport is an important. However, it does not need to be rail. In many instances Rapid Bus Technology or just plain buses would be a better fit. A key consideration is affordability.
Each metropolitan area benefits from mass a transit in one way or another. Subway, underground not taking up precious ground, not making noise or visual pollution, was the rage of the 20th Century but may not be as necessary today. NYC’s subway system is probably close to 60% above ground but the name subway is a habit. Also, today with Light Rail systems surface running and stations add to the economy and efficiency of running to say nothing about the construction costs. The comprehensiveness depends on the proposed usage: commuting or for shopping along with the size of the market or urban area to be served.