Those who sneer at ''America's love affair with cars'' generally drive one, we suspect. But, there is a limit to road capacity, at least theoretically, and therefore mass transit has a role. Jacksonville Transportation Authority officials are looking ahead to the use of light rail as part of the mix, calling it a ''sexy'' concept. Before the JTA becomes fixed on that notion, it should do an in-depth analysis. One warning flag suggesting that course of action is seen in a new study of bus travel vs. rail.
Rail is enormously expensive, especially when it requires buying the land for tracks.
It rarely attracts sufficient ridership to pay that cost. That's why the railroads dropped passenger service, after all. The JTA hopes to stick the federal taxpayers with part of that cost, but shouldn't depend on that happening. Both bus and rail traffic is used extensively in the Los Angeles area. Reason Public Policy Institute found that busways there produce far greater mobility per dollar spent than rail lines.