The U.S. Gets Less Subway for Its Money Than Its Peers
This ultimately has to come back to voter standards.<p>Other first-world countries in Europe and Asia manage to create comprehensive public transit systems cheaper and faster than the US does -- yet they also have environmental reviews, safety standards, unions, contractors, etc.<p>They are able to do it simply because the people running the city fear that they won&#x27;t be reelected if they fail to provide comprehensive, properly functioning public transit. Voters there believe that providing public transit is one of the basic duties of government. It&#x27;s amazing how streamlined a public project can become if the politicians fear for their jobs.<p>In the US, voters don&#x27;t punish politicians for problems with public transit, even in places like New York where most people use it. So it&#x27;s no surprise that it sucks.