Points made in this long piece are well known already to transit buffs.

The article overlooks the incredible power of the highway lobby and the key role of automobiles in the world economy. And the profound change in mindset of the average American starting around the 'teens away from railroads to roads and highways. All you have to do is read some newspapers from around 1915 and you will be surprised at the amount of interest in autos as the ultimate status symbol.

Also missing is the problem of endemic corruption in transit planning stemming from basically one guy or a handful making crucial decisions and everyone else recognizing a monumental error standing by powerless or "shut up" with fear of being blackballed. Ergo 5'6" and Palmdale Primacy.

Another point is the tech shift from streetcar to bus. While the PCC was an enormous accomplishment, almost miraculous given the lethal hostility of the highway lobby, buses had make enormous strides and they were inherently one-man operation. Powerful diesel engines, better suspension and no guideway or other capital investments required. Trolley coaches had better acceleration and were quiet and fumeless but required physical plant and its maintenance.

And the modern motor coach is quite comfortable - the last time I rode the Capitol Corridor, admittedly some years ago, the ride was rougher than I anticipated and honestly I would have been more comfortable in an MCI coach. And now MCI is going electric.

Other countries are having problems too. Secondary lines rundown and ugly labor conflicts. Laissez-faire governments are trying to break the militant rail and transit unions with privitization and driverless, etc. but eventually there will be uprising again over low wages, benefits and working conditions.