Public Transit
Everyone has to find the option which works best for them.
I encourage people to use the most efficient and least damaging options whenever possible.
| Public Transit
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Photo credit-Anne Hansen |
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Public transportation systems are wonderful places to promote community.
Many people who I've talked to have made long term friendships with
people they meet on the bus. In fact I believe that public transportation
is more successful in fostering community and building relationships
than bicycle transportation. This is because folks using public transportation
are in contact with each other for longer periods of time than other
means of getting around.
How often do you hear of someone meeting their future spouse, or making a long term friendship with someone in the car next to them. |
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The default option in most American cities is the humble bus. The reason
for this is a long
story, but briefly it involved the removal of streetcars in the early
20th century with buses to increase fossil fuel dependance. I don't support
the bus system as an ideal, because buses are by nature transient. Meaning
that routes can be changed quickly which removes the incentive for investment
in urban centers. However compared to the single-occupancy vehicle, buses
are worlds better.
The bus system is quite helpful in cities like Los Angeles
where core development does not exist. Buses can reach vastly spread
out suburban residents with miniimal investment. |
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Even more successful at building communities, improving cities, and
creating a sense of place is the subway or light rail. Rail systems
are the most efficient public transportation system both in terms
of energy used and customer capacity.
Passenger Riders per hour per 'lane' The reason that authors such as Jane H. Kay are strong advocates of rail systems is that a light rail line becomes a permanent fixture around which architecture can cluster. Through these nodes, a sense of place develops in which people who regularly travel through the area make connections with other people. |
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| Many people who are not familiar
with intelligent transportation (and some who are) believe that public transportation
is slow because of the long time waiting for a bus or train and trasferring
from one line to another.
The solution is to be what is called 'Multi-Modal' which means using each transportation mode where it's most efficient and not where it isn't. For example most transit lines are reasonably fast along the route, but once you get off and wait for another line, you lose a great deal of time. Additionally many people don't live conveniently next to a transit line. These issues can be resolved by using a bicycle (a folding one if necessary) to get to areas which are less speedy by transit. For example I live 1/2 mile from the bus which is an inconveniently long walk. I also know that transferring will lengthen the trip more. So I get my bike and ride to the station. Once there I put my bike on the bus and take the bus as close as it goes to my destination. Then I ride the second leg of the route rather than transferring. Now I've used the bike where it's faster than walking, and use the bus where it's faster than cycling. The other advantage of being multi-modal is that if either vehicle fails for some reason, there's always a backup. For example there was a snowstorm last year and two of the closest bus lines weren't running. So I instead used my mountain bike and rode to downtown Portland past miles of stranded cars and a few buses. |
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I promote bicycling first and foremost because it causes virtually no
harm to others. It is also the most efficient form of transportation known.
However there are many times when public transportation is a marvelous
option to use. I for example take the transit system whenever I have to
go over a small mountain range which borders my city.