Today, Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10) introduced the No Desire for Streetcars Act in Washington, D.C. The bill aims to prohibit mass transit projects that are deemed unnecessary and costly under the guise of public infrastructure.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, unless we’re talking about publicly-funded streetcars – expensive, ugly, and slow,” stated Congressman Perry. He further criticized city planners as “academic” and “out-of-touch,” arguing that they support projects like streetcars which he describes as “roads to nowhere.” According to Perry, these initiatives are inefficient and costly, diverting tax dollars from hardworking Americans to large coastal cities.
The proposed legislation seeks to terminate funding for the Washington D.C. streetcar project and any similar future projects. In Washington, the streetcar’s expenses exceeded $200 million and failed to generate fare revenue after years of implementation.
Washington D.C. plans to phase out its streetcar line by 2025, replacing it with an electric bus system due to what has been labeled a failure over decades. The No Desire for Streetcars Act is intended to prevent future financial burdens on taxpayers by implementing more practical solutions.
