I heard a saying that China is run by engineers but America is run by attorneys, financers and consultants. They should all get out of the way and let the engineers build things.
You mentioned bringing “American transit up to a global standard.” I’m not sure what that means if both bus and rail is involved. I’m curious: Does Canadian transit meet a global standard?
I like "Defensive proceduralism", which is just like "defensive medicine", but at the same time these names are both kind of euphemisms describing rational responses to incentives and what is downstream of the same general problem. In my view a name for a problem should be closer to the cause than an effect. Defending against a real and unreasonable threat isn't a problem, indeed it's often forgivable even when it contributes to bad results. The threat that is the upstream root cause is the problem. And the problem is that the laws and regulations are terrible, imposing costs and delays totally out of proportion to the protection of valid and legitimate interests. Let's say a doctor orders too many MRIs because he is reasonably worried about losing a malpractice lawsuit even when it was reasonable for him to not order the scan. You can can the problem his defensiveness, but really it's the malpractice tort system run amok. I'd say it's important for the name to get as close as possible to the real devil because it helps aim any attempts at amelioration at the proper target. If I call the problem "defensive medicine" I am tempted to both blame and try to change the behavior of the doctors themselves, not the thing to which the doctors are reacting. I am treating the symptom, not the disease. AIDS is a syndrome, but HIV is the problem.
Where you write 'America', I think it applies across much, if not all, of the Anglosphere. Certainly the UK, Canada, and Australia. Even in the predominantly French province of Quebec, who after the Parisien inspired Metro, has used an Anglospheric approach.
I heard a saying that China is run by engineers but America is run by attorneys, financers and consultants. They should all get out of the way and let the engineers build things.
You mentioned bringing “American transit up to a global standard.” I’m not sure what that means if both bus and rail is involved. I’m curious: Does Canadian transit meet a global standard?
Bus service in Toronto and Ottawa is absolutely world-class
Urban rail (i.e., subways) was world-class until about twenty years ago in terms of cost/km, though we still didn't build enough
Sadly this century our ability to deliver rail projects of any sort on time or at a reasonable cost has worsened far below any global standard
I like "Defensive proceduralism", which is just like "defensive medicine", but at the same time these names are both kind of euphemisms describing rational responses to incentives and what is downstream of the same general problem. In my view a name for a problem should be closer to the cause than an effect. Defending against a real and unreasonable threat isn't a problem, indeed it's often forgivable even when it contributes to bad results. The threat that is the upstream root cause is the problem. And the problem is that the laws and regulations are terrible, imposing costs and delays totally out of proportion to the protection of valid and legitimate interests. Let's say a doctor orders too many MRIs because he is reasonably worried about losing a malpractice lawsuit even when it was reasonable for him to not order the scan. You can can the problem his defensiveness, but really it's the malpractice tort system run amok. I'd say it's important for the name to get as close as possible to the real devil because it helps aim any attempts at amelioration at the proper target. If I call the problem "defensive medicine" I am tempted to both blame and try to change the behavior of the doctors themselves, not the thing to which the doctors are reacting. I am treating the symptom, not the disease. AIDS is a syndrome, but HIV is the problem.
Where you write 'America', I think it applies across much, if not all, of the Anglosphere. Certainly the UK, Canada, and Australia. Even in the predominantly French province of Quebec, who after the Parisien inspired Metro, has used an Anglospheric approach.