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12 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 155 (2005)
Fare or Unfair - The Importance of Mass Transit for America's Poor

handle is hein.journals/geojpovlp12 and id is 161 raw text is: Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy Volume XII, Number 1, Spring 2005 Fare or Unfair? The Importance of Mass Transit for America's Poor Patrick Moulding* The underdevelopment of public transportation in America has exacerbated our nation's economic and social inequalities. A decades-long trend of prioritiz- ing automobile use at the expense of public transportation has undercut an important means of improving the lives of low-income Americans, especially in urban areas. While' the consequences of a highway-centered transit network for the environment and energy consumption have received considerable attention, the economic impact on the poor is relatively overlooked. This Note describes the sidelining of mass transit in our culture and suggests that the challenges facing low-income families are intensified by having fewer and less cost-effective transportation options. Part I explores the significance of transportation for the country as a whole and identifies some of the problems that stem from an automobile-centric status quo. Part II explains why low-income Americans are especially vulnerable to the consequences of our society's transportation choices. Part III illustrates how some of these disparities are plausible bases for lawsuits and indicates why litigation may well have a role in reducing inequality in transit service, particularly in fairly allocating funds between types of public transit within a particular city or regional network. Finally, Part IV compares these legal options with the possibilities for change using politics and policy reform. I conclude that the change needed to address our current transportation problems and inequities-a reevaluation which includes acknowledging the real costs of automobile use and exploring the social and financial viability of public transit-makes courts an imperfect vehicle for reform. Revitalizing American cities with improved transit options ultimately requires policy imagination and tough financial choices-in sum, a re-evaluation of policy at both the individual and governmental level. Therefore, a truly successful program will require the policy expertise, legislative competence, and community mandate that only the political process can provide. I. EXACT CHANGE REQUIRED? PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND THE AMERICAN CITY Debates about transportation policy are not simply economic exercises. In fact, they expose our nation's struggles with a variety of dramatic societal choices and changes. * J.D. Candidate, Georgetown University Law Center, 2005.

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