Moving Minds: Conservatives and Public Transportation

by Paul M. Weyrich, William S. Lind

This collection of studies about public transportation by renown conservative transit advocates Paul Weyrich and William Lind is essential reading for anyone who wants to build conservative support for public transportation. These studies help make the case for public transit in terms conservatives because it enhances national security, promotes economic development, helps maintain conservative values including a sense of community, and provides welfare recipients with access to jobs. Weyrich, who co-founded the Heritage Foundation and the Free Congress Foundation, both conservative think tanks, died in 2008.

Genres: Transport

Paperback

Published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Evan Þ. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weyrich, a conservative political activist active in the W. Bush administration, writes in defense of public transit from a conservative perspective. As a conservative who likes public transit, I read it eagerly.

His arguments are sometimes cogent and always interesting. He favors express buses and light rail because they're the highest in choice riders; I would very much like to have seen him debate some of the progressive transit activists about system design. But his strongest and newest point is that most shopping trips were never made by public transit. A hundred years ago, they were mostly made by foot; now, without neighborhood stores, they're usually made by car. So, he argues, transit modeshare statistics should ignore them.

I can't believe all of Weyrich's arguments, but I would like more transit activists to speak like him.