The hell with transit planners?


You should not seem so surprised. "College" training has been required for quite some time now, for virtually anyone to get a job as a "Civic Planner". But no real experience of any sort has ever been required, and is now impossible anyway. And who did the teaching at those universities where they trained - More of same!

When I was still young enough to not know any better, a group of us newly employed whippersnappers thought to expand our horizons a bit beyond our current assignments in the transportation profession. Two enrolled in a public works management program; while two others and myself enrolled in a "Transportation Planning" Program at a local University.

Within three months, it was very painfully clear that those "teaching" us knew considerably less about transportation than we did; while we knew anything at all, only because of a mere year or two of experience in the various menial tasks involved. While in class, we had to invent all sorts concepts to explain any hows or whys, to any particular decision that a planner would have to make.

Though we were guessing and by-gollying much of it, we still got all As. Every single one of us! Turns out those so-called professors were were actually graduate students milking us for every scrap of information they could get out of us, to put into their doctoral thesis. You know - what they then turn into textbooks on the subject. They even admitted it - the next years class was to be based upon what they learned this year. I should have gotten my money back!

It truly was the blind leading the blind! Judging by the prevalence of vision-less, convoluted, dis-jointed and politically patronizing transit planning that I have seen in the forty years since - it still is!

Only occasionally do you see a really sharp planner. But though they are few in number, their work is amazing - even inspiring, how they cleverly use existing resources to the maximum benefit; how they minimize costs to get more track for the buck; seem to figure out how to attract the most riders; and don't miss opportunities that most others just skip, or never even see.

The good ones do see the big picture - and enhance it. But those I know of, are all old heads without college training. But having had lots of good experience, they simply grew into their jobs. They were by necessity, self taught.

Too bad they are in such a minority. And too bad those wanting to write college textbooks 40 years ago, didn't go to the really sharp self-taught and experienced ones, rather than newbees like us!

Even more too bad - Is that most of those teaching civic planning have little experience actually doing it. The planning examples mentioned in this thread, can be no surprise - it was how they were taught from the get-go.