What are your opinions of mass transit?

[alexwcovington]

And how often do you use it? What would make you use it more?

Does the transit system in your area run long enough hours? Does it serve enough of the city?

[jiacinto]

1. Not good down here

We have Tri-Rail and busses. But you need a car around here.

I wish we had more of it.

[nono]

14. 5 Years in South Fl.

No trouble getting around, had a ball. My cars were in Jacksonville during this time.

[7th_Sephiroth]

24. not good in places other than metropolitan areas

or for travel to oter states/countries, anything else is too sparce for mass transit

[RebelOne]

37. When I lived in Miami, many years ago

there was a gas crunch. So instead of sitting in a gas line, I decided to take a bus to work. Bad idea. I lived in Virginia Gardens and worked almost in downtown Miami. It took me 2 hours to get 9 miles. After that, I sat in the gas lines.

[Journeyman]

2. We worship the car here in South California. . .

I wish there were options, but unless you live in a fortuitous spot, or find yourself forced to utilize public transport, it just doesn't work for the majority of us here in the Southland.

[jiacinto]

4. The problem is accessibility and the lack of planning

Also people view public transit as being "beneath them". They also fear that public transit brings in the "wrong crowd".

[Snow]

8. Au contraire, mi amigo....

I moved here to LA, Pasadena specifically, from Omaha Nebraska - and previous to that the Twin Cities (minnesota). The chief of public transit in Omaha was quoted in the paper, saying "only reason we have any buses at all is because we get some federal money because of it. otherwise, who needs 'em?" in essence. And the buses there reflected that policy. Poor neighborhoods ran jitneys rather than try to deal with the crappy, expensive bus system. LA is so much better. And there's bunches of different bus & train systems, not just one or two. And, get this, tokens and passes from the big one, MTA, can be used on any system, and transfers from any system get you on to any other system! It's amazing! You Angelenos (okay, we Angelenos) don't know how good we've got it. And with the new light rail line here in Pasadena, I can plunk down my 90-cent token and be in Chinatown munching dim-sum in 25 minutes or less. This is a nice system. Granted, they should run a light rail line to Santa Monica, and another to LAX, and maybe another to Lancaster so Mayor Hahn can quit trying to fiddle with LAX, but by-and-large, this is a damn good system. Just wish the surface street buses weren't so slow.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. I was surprised at how good the transit system in L.A. was

I used the Dash buses to get around to the sights near downtown, took the Express bus to Santa Monica, and rode the subway several times.

Most of the people on these means of transit were black or Latino, so I have to wonder if snobbery is keeping people sitting in traffic when they have other alternatives.

[jiacinto]

17. Yep that's what a lot of it is

nt

[Journeyman]

18. It's hardly "snobbery" when the nearest lightrail station. . .

is over 15 miles away and travels in the opposite direction from everything I need to get to in my normal day.

The last job I worked for someone other than myself, I checked the bus schedules and found it would take me almost three hours to make the 30 mile trip to the office, and even at that -- because the buses didn't start running until 5 am -- I'd arrive 1 hour or more after my shift started. If they would change my schedule to match the bus routes (yeah, they were going to do this), my 14 hour day would end just a short time before the busses stopped running. If I had to work overtime, I'd have to walk.

As I said in my original post, unless you live in a fortuitous spot, it just doesn't work.

[HuckleB]

32. So...

no one who could use light rail and save time continues to drive? Sorry, but snobbery does have something to do with it. It might not for you, personally. But you are not the whole of the population in LA.

[jiacinto]

35. That is a problem

However, I grew up in the DC area, which has relatively decent public transit.

Snobbery was a major reason why many of my friends refused to use it.

[La_Serpiente]

3. WELLLL!!!

I live in Honolulu, HI and we have Three Freeways on the island of O'ahu. However, they are always packed every morning.

We have something called the Zip Lane. You can bypass all the traffic in the morning by going on it if you have three or more people in the car.

We also have the City Bus. However, they just went on strike. Now, bus fare is really expensive. It is 2.00 a trip w/ transfer, but they are the best bus system in the nation.

Since the traffic is soooo bad in the morning, we might be getting a light rail line. It will cut the time in like half and save everyone an extra hour of sleep in bed.

We used to have a ferry, but that was only an experimental project.

Now, we might get ferries that go between the different islands. They can put cars on the ferries and it will cost only one plane ticket and a rental car for a day. It is really cheap.

That's it for Hawaii.

[alexwcovington]

16. One question

Why do they call them Interstates if they don't even leave the county they're in?

[HEyHEY]

5. If properly designed

unbeatable...it was an hour and fifteen minute drive to college for me....via transit 50 minutes...pretty good I'd say

[acmavm]

6. Too bad you didn't post this tomorrow night. I'm going to work a temp

job entering survey data for Metro Area Transit tomorrow. I could tell you how a lot of people feel then.

I think that environmentally mass transit is the only responsible way to commute. But unfortunately getting from one place to another without a big hassle is almost impossible. And I, like most everyone else, have gotten so lazy that I don't want to be inconvenienced. Which is a shame, because, as Tower of Power once said "There is only so much oil in the ground". And the ozone layer can only handle so much pollution. And global warming is a fact.

[alexwcovington]

11. I can re-post it

I'm not going anywhere :P

[scarlet_owl]

7. It's pretty good in my town. In fact, I think they won a bunch of awards.

My husband never learned to drive, so he uses it every day to get to work. My dad likes to ride it to work as well. I, on the other hand, would have to take three buses and spend over an hour on the bus just to get to where I go, so I just drive.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. In Portland, I was comfortably car-free

Even more so in Tokyo. I have been an ardent advocate of mass transit ever since living there.

In Minneapolis, I have to be car-lite, because the bus system doesn't run in the right places at the right time. It spends a lot of money running commuter buses to the exurban areas to serve people who probably don't ride them anyway, and it slights the urban areas.

The busline that runs past my building goes to some of the places I go often, but there are only three buses per hour, two per hour on weekends, and the transfers to other lines are rarely convenient.

One fellow Kucinich volunteer told me, "The MTC has contempt for its riders." I'm beginning to think he's right. For one thing, there's no master printed schedule available, so if you want to figure out how to transfer from one line to another, or want to figure out if it's even possible, you'd better have access to the Internet or be able to communicate your needs to the help line.

If I were transportation czarina for the Twin Cities, I would eliminate the exurban lines or have the affected communities run them, and concentrate on running buses every ten to fifteen minutes on all the through streets.

I think that part of the problem here is that the transit system is run by the Metropolitan Council, which, unlike Metro in the Portland area, is appointed by the governor. In other words, the transit system is run by people with no accountability to the public.

[alexwcovington]

15. Nifty

Out here in North Dakota, transit is generally poor. But I hope to change that -- not just with intracity transit, but with an integrated statewide network connecting every city and one-horse town in the state ... perhaps with key out-of-state connections (maybe buses or rail to Winnipeg or Minneapolis)

That's my vision...I hope to make it a reality someday soon. A few million dollars... My estimate is between 10 and 30 million a year. Not exactly chump change around here but I think I can make a case.

[Journeyman]

19. When I was in North Dakota. . .

I was amazed there wasn't some sort of light rail or bus transit between the main cities at least. There are what, maybe 6 main highways in the state? It seems such a system would be both feasible and far safer in the wintertime than everyone scurrying about in individual cars, fighting black ice and drifting snow.

[alexwcovington]

20. :) I'm glad someone sees the need and potential

:P and you don't even know the state like I do.

The number of major highways varies by what you consider "major". The state highways in many cases are improved about the same as the lesser US highways, sometimes better, and if you try to start counting them... well....

I need a map!

[BigMcLargehuge]

12. wish we had it

two busses in Manchester NH, none in my town. No trains within reasonable driving distance with stops in places I want or need to go.

It's a pity.

[HuckleB]

13. It's essential...

to any city that hopes to keep commutes within reason. Sure, you can build more and more freeways and roads, and, if you build enough, they might even move at speed, but your commute is still going to be hellishly long because you've just spread things out to a ridiculous scale. I use mass transit an average of twice a week, and I would use it more if I didn't ride my bicycle. It would certainly be my choice over an automobile any day of the week. Luckily, Portland has a fair system for the U.S., though I am jealous of what one finds elsewhere in the world.

[anti_shrub]

21. Much like everything else in Pittsburgh

Public transportation is a mess....

It used to be good, hell my Grandfather was a bus driver.

Sadly they keep raising fares and cutting service. I used to ride the bus to work, but once summer rolled around I got sick of walking up hills in 90 degree heat for a half hour to catch the first of my 2-3 buses so I could make it to my job 20 minutes away in an hour or so.

[bicentennial_baby]

33. LOL

"to catch the first of my 2-3 buses so I could make it to my job 20 minutes away in an hour or so."

I sooo hear that! I used to live in Pgh, and I ended up using my bike, b/c it could get me to work in 10 minutes, as opposed to the 30 min ride from Shadyside to my job. Besides, there's nothing like the adrenaline rush of racing a Pittsburgh bus down Forbes Ave. at 6 am! :bounce:

[bif]

22. What's that? I live in Detroit.

Ours is terrible.

[terrya]

23. Chicago, where I live, has excellent public transit.

The CTA can get you anywhere you want in Chicago. Combined with METRA, which serves the suburbs, and you don't need to own a car.

Which I don't, since parking can be a hassle, plus I feel better about my small contribution to protecting the environment.

Public transit is ESSENTIAL for cities. Period.

[Bridget Burke]

25. Houston Metro: I use it

Four days a week I commute by bus (obscenely early meetings on Monday). I work in an area with good bus service & expensive parking. I walk a few blocks to/from bus stops (exercise!) & read on the bus.

I live near downtown & sometimes take the bus in for festivals, bars, restaurants. Constant construction has made downtown parking a pain & that bus runs late.

You really do need a car in Houston, however. Light Rail is just beginning & is poorly designed; it kills my soul to admit that Dallas is ahead of us. I'll vote for it in the upcoming election just because of the creeps who are against it--Tom DeLay among them.

Generally, more people would use mass transit if there were more routes/longer hours. Some of the buses need replacing--why not try electric ones? It would require serious financial commitment--who has the extra money now? There's also an element of prejudice--the "right sort" of people don't take the bus.

[Padraig18]

26. I love mass transit!

Although we only have through-bus service here (Greyhound), Amtrack stops about 8 miles away and runs from Chicago to New Orleans ('City of New Orleans') and Chicago to Carbondale ('The Illini')---2 northbounds, 2 southbounds daily. I can drive to the station, ride the train to Chicago and be downtown faster than if I drove my car. Those two trains are: clean, on time 95+% of the time, run on new 'unitrack', cheap (about $40 r/t), have food/beverage and a lounge car, etc. . Furthermore, they're almost always full, which is why it boggles my mind when the Congress talks about cutting subsidies.

[geniph]

27. When I worked somewhere where it ran...

(like downtown Seattle), I always took the bus. If I were still working downtown, I could actually take a commuter train now from where I live, so it figures that now I work in another small town, and mass transit from small town to small town doesn't work. I'd have to go all the way to downtown Seattle (an hour on the bus or 30 minutes and $3 on the train), then transfer to a bus that'd take me BACK south to the small town I work in, another hour. It's not workable for me now. Wish it was.

I prefer the train to the bus, because it takes half as long and it has potties! The bus stops too damn much, makes it harder to nap. But I took a bus to work and back for more than 20 years.

[arwalden]

28. Wish There Was A Metro Stop Near My Neighborhood...

... 'twould be nice.

[SOteric]

29. We have one of the best mass transit systems in the country

It's record for timeliness is exceptional, it serves a vast metropolitian area inexpensively and in some places free, it is easy to use, services most locations with a transfer or two, - and yes, I have used it and would again.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

30. I use it once or twice a week

It works fine for me, but it stops running at 12:30 AM, which is inconvenient if you're out clubbing.

[mac56]

31. From "The Onion" a few years back -

Report: 98 Percent Of U.S. Commuters Favor Public Transportation For Others

WASHINGTON, DC--A study released Monday by the American Public Transportation Association reveals that 98 percent of Americans support the use of mass transit by others.

"With traffic congestion, pollution, and oil shortages all getting worse, now is the time to shift to affordable, efficient public transportation," APTA director Howard Collier said. "Fortunately, as this report shows, Americans have finally recognized the need for everyone else to do exactly that."

(snip)

Public support for mass transit will naturally lead to its expansion and improvement, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said. "With everyone behind it, we'll be able to expand bus routes, create park-and-ride programs, and build entire new Metrolink commuter-rail lines," LACMTA president Howard Sager said. "It's almost a shame I don't know anyone who will be using these new services."

(snip)

Collier said he hopes the study serves as a wake-up call to Americans. In conjunction with its release, the APTA is kicking off a campaign to promote mass transit with the slogan, "Take The Bus... I'll Be Glad You Did."

[RebelOne]

34. Live in the Metro Atlanta area

It's OK if you live in Atlanta proper. They have buses. But I live about 20 miles north and the bus system sucks. Only one bus that I know of that goes to Atlanta. If you don't have a car, you are sunk.

[jiacinto]

36. Atlanta does need a better transit system

nt

[HuckleB]

38. Part of the problem in areas like Atlanta...

is how much the population is spread out. It's difficult to create a strong, fiscally sound mass transit system that runs often enough to be convenient in such areas. I think this is one of the reasons we need to think about city design, in addition to discussing multiple forms of transit. If our cities are not designed to utilize multiple forms of transit, we will simply continue to eat up more space, build more roads, and increase the length of our commutes.

[tsakshaug]

39. if designed properly

It works great. I lived in Boston for 5 years, had no need for a car. bus or subway, yes it is a bummer it closes at 12:30, I slept in the subway tunnels a few times.

In Rochester NY, I have a bus that goes by my house, but it goes to the city. To get to work I would need to take two 45 min bus rides or drive 15 min.

Lived in England for a short time. Loved taking trains everywhere!
I wish our train system was better in this country.

[sangh0]

40. I use it every day

When I moved back into NYC proper, I got rid of my car. Between gas, tolls, insurance, and parking tickets, I save a couple of thousand dollars a year.

[jiacinto]

41. DC has good public transit

The Metro runs very well and so do most busses. The problem is that the metro doesn't connect suburb to suburb. Governor Ehrlich seems intent on trying to sabatoge the purple line because it goes through a wealthy golf course in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area.

There is MARC and VRE Commuter line service. However, they only run during rush hour and not on the weekends. They run out to the farther suburbs, but they don't seem to run as well as they should.

Baltimore has a light rail and a metro, but its hours aren't good. Also they do have busses, but they don't run well in the far suburbs.