Portland is a PR machine for light rail & streetcar

Here are Some Facts About Portland Oregon          

“It must always be remembered how cost-effectiveness works in the public sector: the cost IS the benefit.” - author unknown

False Promises:

Copying Europe Will Reduce Driving/Increase Transit Usage

The reality: 78.3% of motorized EU15 travel is by private car

Planners noticed that Europeans use transit more than Americans and then decided that we should do things like the Europeans do. However they failed to realize that Americans are richer than Europeans and that as Europeans incomes catch up, their driving would increase. The chart below is from the European Union and shows that driving and flying are increasing and transit usage  ("Rail", "Bus and coach" and "Tram and Metro") is decreasing, just like in the USA:

From below:

Air = +132%

Passenger Car = +2.5%

Rail = -23% 

Bus&Coach = -27%

Tram  & Metro = -21.4%

Chart from the European Union Shows Transit Decrease and Automobile Increase:

Download full document from the EU   Download same document from this web site

PDF of this page

More recent information, which leaves out direct comparison such as shown above, starts at Page 124 of

 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/9066251/KS-EX-18-001-EN-N.pdf/64b85130-5de2-4c9b-aa5a-8881bf6ca59b?t=1531212882000

Figure 11.3: Number of passenger cars, 2005 and 2015 (per 1 000 inhabitants)  shows EU-28 now has MORE passenger cars per capita than the USA.

Also note that air transport increased faster than Rail.

I did not see similar for cars.