Post Carbon Fellow Anthony Perl’s thinking on the effect of transit fares on urban sprawl was reported in this article.

From the article:

Charging transit riders by how far they travel may produce an unwanted outcome, an academic has cautioned.

Unless car owners in Metro Vancouver are also made to pay by how far they drive, distance-based fares might only encourage urban sprawl, according to SFU’s Anthony Perl.

Sprawl is the development of car-dependent communities outside city centres that are well served by transit.