Avoiding the problem

At the start of such an important year—across the globe and here in the US—it might seem strange to inaugurate our first column with a local issue. But as the old proverb says, “Even the simplest things are the most startling.” This November, Durham residents will have the opportunity to vote yes or no on a simple question: Should local taxes be raised to support public transportation? Originally proposed by Durham County Commissioners, the half-percent hike in the sales tax that aims to increase funding for the Durham Area Transportation Authority (DATA) will be placed on the ballot. It is hoped that an increase in funding will expand the size, and consequently citizen utilization of the Durham transit system.

And come Nov. 8, I will walk to my local voting precinct and pull the lever against the tax increase for one important reason: Increasing spending fails to address fundamental problems inherent in Durham’s transit system and will do more harm than good in the Durham community.

Please don’t misunderstand me—public transportation can be a great asset to the community and provide quality, inexpensive mobility for its citizens. The concept is a laudable one which deserves public attention and respect. In practice, however, public transportation systems often fail to live up to their expectations or justify their costs. A great deal of public money and resources are often pumped into an ineffective or underutilized system, dampening the local economy and depriving the local government and its citizens of much-needed cash.

The effectiveness of public transportation depends on the population density of the city which it serves. In areas with high population densities, like Washington D.C. or New York City, local governments are able to serve residents with relative efficiency at a reasonable expense. Smaller cities—like Durham—however, lack the population density to provide the same quality of service at an affordable cost. In an area of over 260,000 residents, DATA boasts only 15,000 daily users of its bus system. Even though Durham County spends over $15 million to operate its 52 buses and 46 vans along a limited number of routes, less than one-fifteenth of its residents utilize it regularly. Even with cash infusions from outside institutions, such as Duke’s $375,000 contribution to the upstart costs associated with the Bull City Connector, outside funding sources have done little to boost ridership. There simply aren’t enough people using the service to justify the taxpayer expense constituted by the tax increase.

Raising taxes in an attempt to expand ridership is no way to solve Durham’s public transportation issues and only masks the underlying reasons for DATA’s lackluster success. Rather than increasing the size of DATA, Durham city officials should look at ways to make it a leaner, more productive institution. Trimming service on underutilized bus routes, boosting fares, and reducing the amount of newly hired employees to reduce extraneous personnel would provide the same financial effect on DATA as a tax increase, and still allow money to remain in the local economy and the taxpayer’s pocket.

As stakeholders in the Duke and Durham communities, it is our responsibility as Duke students to make sure our local government acts in the best interest of all its citizens. I believe our local government can be both efficient and effective in delivering services to those dependent on public transportation. Raising the sales tax is simply a temporary fix to a long-term problem.

William Reach is a Trinity junior and the president of Duke College Republicans. His column runs every other Tuesday.