It’s funny how in the supposedly late capitalist world of contemporary America, there are lots of problems that could be solved by money/business/entrepreneurship but are prevented from doing so by not-actually-representative government councils and arbitrary laws.
Two examples that pop out to me are litter/graffiti removal and clean public bathrooms. Millions of people would gladly pay $10-$50 a year to get both, but regulations prevent a private company from even beginning to solve either.
The train station I get off at has probably two dozen LED signs. Each one of them just shows the date and time, and not when the next train is coming or anything actually useful to transit riders. But I'm sure they cost a few thousand a piece and parts are expensive for what amounts to a wall clock mounted every 10 feet, and whoever signed off on this station projects probably cut a huge red ribbon with the biggest grin on their face for the press photos.
Two examples that pop out to me are litter/graffiti removal and clean public bathrooms. Millions of people would gladly pay $10-$50 a year to get both, but regulations prevent a private company from even beginning to solve either.