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erica and Europe, along with the rest of the 'West' to automobile circulation. Motorized transportation was seen as a powerful symbol of modernity and development for many. At this time, highways were constructed, the streets were enlarged, and parking lots were set often disrupting the existing urban fabric with the creation of motorized urban cities.

Some see the ultimate solution to combat the automobile-only mindset is to increase the availability of safe, efficient public transport. Governments, at times, make the choice to subsidize public transport for several reasons, both social and environmental, or also for economical reasons. The key motivation factors are the need to provide transport to people who either cannot afford or are physically or legally incapable of using an automobile. Other motives may be related to promote business and economic growth, or urban renewal in formerly deprived areas of the city, along with a will to reduce congestion, land use and emissions of air pollution and greenhouse gases. Some systems are owned and operated by a government agency, while others are commercial, but still often receive greater benefits from the government compared to a normal company.

Subsidies to transportation systems may, at times, take the form of direct payments to financially unprofitable services. However, indirect subsidies are used also. This may include allowing use of state-owned infrastructure without payment or for less than cost-price, to stimulate public transport's economic competitiveness over private transport, that normally also has free infrastructure, sometimes subsidized through such things as taxes on gas. Other known subsidies that are utilized include tax advantages, bailouts if companies that are likely to collapse and the reduction of competition through licensing schemes, which is often applied to taxis and airlines.

Some government officials believe that use of taxpayer funds towards mass transit will ultimately save taxpayer money in other ways, and therefore, state-funded mass transit is seen as a benefit to the taxpayer. To them, the lack of mass transit results in more traffic, pollution, and road construction to accommodate more vehicles. They assert that these are very costly, and that providing mass transit will therefore alleviate these expenses.

Expansion of public transportation systems is often opposed by critics who see such expansions as vehicles for violent criminals and homeless persons to expand into new areas to which they would otherwise have to walk. Despite the occasional highly publicized incident, the vast majorities of modern public transport systems are well designed and patrolled and generally have low crime rates. Many systems are monitored by CCTV, mirrors, or by patrol. Nevertheless, some systems do attract 'vagrants' who use the stations or trains as sleeping shelters, though most operators have practices in place that is meant discourage and ultimately prevent this.

Though public transit accidents attract far more publicity than car wrecks, public transport is much safer, due to far lower accident rates. Annually, public transit, as opposed to personal automobile use, prevents 200,000 deaths, injuries, and accidents compared to when similar equivalent trips had been made by personal car. Riding the bus is over 170 times safer than making trips in a private automobil