Rising Above the Transit Critic’s Mantra Jeremy Gunderson Program Associate Center For...

Rising Above the Transit Critic’s Mantra

Jeremy Gunderson

Program Associate

Center For Transportation Excellence

Topics

What to Expect Who the Critics Are What the Critics Represent Impact Critics Have Approaches/Responses Resources

What to Expect From the Critics

Local and National Scrutiny Their Mission: Create Doubt Compartmentalization of Statistics Strategic Oversimplification Persistence

Who the Critics Are

Hired Guns– Wendell Cox– Sam Staley– Randal O’Toole– Robert Poole

Political Opponents of Your Champion Those adversely affected by proposal

What the Critics Represent

Anti-tax Anti-government Conservative Think Tanks Road Builders/Highway Lobby Proponents of Privacy (fear of crime, etc.)

How to Approach A Critic

Duplicate the Medium Letters to the Editor Web-based education Targeted Door-to-Door Community Meetings Debates Speakers Bureau

Strategies

Remove Ambiguity(ex: Speakers Bureau)

Be persistent in showing need for investment Exemplify Good Stewardship of Public Funds

(ex: Tri-met Efficiency Study) Use the private sector as a “charismatic”

voice Use the transit agency as a “technical” voice

Strategies….

Hire your own “Gun” If you can’t beat ‘em, include them

(ex: Change the route)

Resources

CFTE Website

(www.cfte.org)• Common Critical

Arguments with Point-by-Point Refutation

• Useful Factoids• Critic Identification

Resources…..

Your Local Transit Agency APTA (www.apta.com) PT2 (www.publictransportation.org) Worldwide Transit Cabal

(www.transitcabal.org) Surface Transportation Policy Project

(www.transact.org)

Learn From Other Local Coalitions

Transit Alliance (www.transitalliance.org) Friends of Transit (www.friendsoftransit.org) CFSTS (www.savetucson.org) Transit Coaliton (www.transitcoalition.org) Regional Transit Alliance (www.kctransit.org) Gulf Coast Institute (www.livablehouston.org)

Final Note….

Jeremy Gunderson

jer@cfte.org

www.cfte.org