Libertarians opposition toward government backed light-rail ignores the longer history of government's pro-car policies, says Timothy B. Lee, contributor for Forbes.
The policies after World War II that discriminated against high density and mixed use development created an illusion that people prefer the "suburban, auto-oriented lifestyle", Lee says.
"In addition to restricting building heights and mixed-use development, these zoning codes almost invariably force developers to provide parking for new construction projects, whether the market demands it or not."
Lee says that even though rail tends to be a wasteful government project, it is not alone
"They pursue wasteful highway projects, wasteful airport projects, wasteful stadium projects, and so forth. And there are examples of rail projects-like the expansion of the New York and DC subway systems-that seem like they're unlikely to become boondoggles."
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research