Could we develope a good public transportation system to save gas and would you use it?

Question

Wouldn't t this be a project of people working together making our country self sufficient.

Answer 1

A public transportation system is like a commercial product, there has to be demand for it first. So let's first talk about ridership. I live in New York City, where land is so expensive, streets are so crowded and living space is so much shared that people feel extremely inconvenient and expensive to drive, to park, and to just own a car. Then in order to get around they all turn to public transit. However, in the rest of USA, it is different. American dream asks for a piece of land and a house built on it that belong only to you. For people who are used to driving alone, it is difficult for them to accept the concept of sharing; for public transit system, it is almost impossible to sustain, in terms of cost, having to connect all those scattered house units. The problem is we have too many suburbs in this country, and that has defined the style of living. For us to have a GOOD public transportation system, it'll take a long time after, possibly, we build one, then it fails, then we make changes and people go back and forth between cars and transit, given that gas price is going up nonstop.

For me, I will take public transportation when it is fast, convenient, and affordable (compared to driving a car). I do now in NYC, but I probably would not do the same in other parts of US. Everyone has his right to choose the way of living, and the only time for public transportation to take over is when it offers the best.

Answer 2

Not possible. Land use is all wrong.  Just look at your own town and try to figure out what routes the buses or light-rail lines could go on, where people would want to use them.  Doesn't work in most places, because the neighborhoods were designed to be car-only.

Lots of people say "I'd take public transit if it came to where I'd live" -- well it's not going to happen.  Those people chose to move to car-only communities and now they're stuck with their choice until they move!   The best they can hope for is regional commuter rail or light-rail (as dozens of U.S. cities have installed in the last 20 years, yay!) but they still have to drive to the rail station, and park.  

If you want to be able to take transit, you can choose to live in places where transit has a chance of working.   And that's exactly what people are doing, moving out of the suburban sprawl and into "new urbanism" communities designed around transit.  Or they are revitalizing older communities that were designed around the streetcars and interurbans.

As for the sprawl suburbs, they are going to be abandoned.  It's already starting to happen.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...

Now that problem is partly the mortgage crisis, but it's also partly because the town is so far from the job centers.  Living there made sense when gas was $1/gal, but people can't afford both a mortgage and a $15/day for gas to commute.

Answer 3

I use the system in Denver.  I save $250 a month in gas and parking.

Answer 4

It probably isn't going to happen any time soon.  The oil companies and auto manufacturers will make sure it doesn't.  They have a lot more political power than we do.  But I'm keeping my fingers crossed, maybe if the gas prices go high enough politicians will have no choice but to listen.

Answer 5

a good public transportation system would pick me up,where ever i am, and take me where i want to go... without a lot of waiting..

where i live this isn't happening, although i think it could....

where i grew up this would be near impossible, as would most of the usa....

Answer 6

in Europe they can do it.

I don't see most cities in the US being able to do it anytime soon.

too many politicians and too much money involved.

Answer 7

I would LOVE to use public transportation if it were available where I live.  Our county in Maryland is just too rural.  Towns and people are spread too far apart to make this feasible.  I could see myself using it if I lived in a city.  I mean, why not?  It seems pretty convenient.  Don't have to worry about parking your car.