Kansas City Regional Light Rail Should Be Scaled Down

10 February 2008 - 9:00am

This editorial from The Kansas City Star argues that Mayor Mark Funkhouser's plan to create a regional light rail system may be too ambitious, and efforts should be focused on building a smaller system.

"In politics a common admonition advises: Don’t let the perfect drive out the good. Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser is in danger of violating that principle with his proposal for a regional light-rail network."

"In a meeting today, Funkhouser will attempt to sell area mayors on a five-county light-rail transit district funded by a half-cent sales tax. The proposed entity would hire staff and consultants to plan the rail system."

"Funkhouser envisions up to 80 miles of tracks at a cost of more than $4 billion. It would be improbably large, bordering on humongous."

Source: The Kansas City Star, February 8, 2008
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I argue that the vocabulary of planning and the concepts necessary to participate in local government and planning issues need to be taught to students in K-12.