MARTA Speed Limit Map

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Uh, I've been to NYC, when talking about Manhattan, transit is faster 90+% of the time.

Come on my, dude. You need to come with harder facts than "I've been to NYC on vacation."

1. Manhattan isn't the whole of NYC. Most people commute from Queens or Brooklyn and that is not fast to Manhattan. When I lived in Queens, the 5 mile trip from my neighborhood to Midtown Manhattan would take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and half one way. And that's on a good day.

2. Taking the train when on the vacation is not the same as commuting day in and day out. You won't notice the ways it fails you constantly, nor is taking a train from Midtown to Downtown indicative of a normal daily trip.

3. The NYC subway is falling apart, with nearly 40% of trains not arriving on time...and stations literally falling apart: https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-...tations-2018-4

Now, where does the NYC subway excel? Coverage and 24 hour availability. Yeah, the train can (and does with shocking regularity) break down and mostly likely be slow but you'll eventually get there.

But driving, believe or not, is quite fast anywhere in NYC including Manhattan if you know where you're going. What's difficult about driving is finding somewhere to park or paying an arm and a leg to park in a lot. Most people in Manhattan don't have a car not because taking the train is faster. Rather it's because it's cheaper and less stressful than having to worry about where to park. Most people would rather drive, and in the outer boroughs they do.

My favorite quote about MTA that sums up what using transit is all about comes from this viral video of this lady complaining how slow a bus was going. Another passenger says "Lady, you need to be quiet. This is New York City, everyone is always late to work."