Comment 99107

By kevlahan (registered) | Posted March 25, 2014 at 09:31:28 in reply to Comment 99106

By that same logic, we should be making our streets more dangerous since that will boost the economy by increasing business for car repair shops, car sales (to replace the cars that are totalled), the insurance industry and the health care industry. And don't forget all the extra business that will be generated for the legal industry due to all the new personal injury claims. It will be a bonanza!

Anyone trying to make our roads safer for drivers is obviously just out to destroy our economy and put all these hard-working Canadians out of business.

I've never seen such a naive economic analysis...

Of course, if we outlawed cars overnight that would have a serious effect on our economy. But no one is suggesting that. A gradual transition to other more efficient transport (e.g. fewer car trips in urban areas) would free up money and resources that could be better allocated elsewhere. Does Hong Kong, to take one example, have a moribund economy because almost no one drives?

For example, just consider all the surface parking lots downtown that generate minimal tax for the city and essentially no economic activity. If these were built over with residences and businesses this would be a huge boost to the local economy that would require minimal investment from the City (since the land is already serviced).

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