How Come It's More Socially-Acceptable to take Public Transit in Seattle/ Minneapolis/ Portland than Sunbelt? (mover, living in)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They are not as transit happy as outsiders believe. Take a look at the Portland forum. On any given day you will see posts bemoaning the fact that traffic is continually increasing on what once was easy to get around on highways, longer commute times and growing traffic congestion.
There might also be posts talking about the scandals and many complaints about our public transportation system and how it serves those who run it financially much more than those who use it to get around.
I take the bus because I do not drive and have never owned a car. That goes back 35 years in Portland. To this day when I tell people I don't drive they look at me as if I am from another planet. They politely inquire if I have a physical disability. When I lived in the midwest, Chicago to be exact, no one batted an eye when I told them I didn't drive.
It has nothing to do with demographics. People in the West love their cars,motorcycles and trucks; anything motor driven. They may walk, bike or take public transportation but if they can afford to own a car, they have them.
I'm very surprised that it is this way in Portland. Seems like one of the best places in America to live car-free and that people really support it.
I can not stand public transport. Have been without a car for a few years now - but taking the street car or bus or subway is just tedious. Plus if you are poor like me...You might find it expensive. Three bucks for a one way ride..and three bucks back- I can buy a pack of cheap smoke for 6 bucks...So it either go somewhere where I don't need to go or sit around killing myself with cigarettes. So I smoke and watch the world go by.
Basically why Seattle and Portland are esteemed for its public-transit loving population. Bet you people wouldn't be so transit-happy if the demographics were less homogeneous.
People are scared scared of the minorities on PT in NY too, but costs associated with driving overtakes that fear. Its too cheap to park in sunbelt cities to overcome the fear of sitting next to 'those' people
Well it's not just about being practical. People in areas like Texas or Phoenix will just look at you like you're crazy for wanting to go car-free. So it goes hand in hand. It has to do with the layout of the city as well as the people there.
Thats because it's not practical. It's very limiting in Phoenix, not recommended and not a great idea for most part.
I am one of those 16%. I can tell you that from actual experience from living here and using it that our public transportation system is geared towards morning and evening rush hour commutes and going to one time entertainments events if the hours match. That's it.
It is not like living in a city such as San Francisco where trains run at all hours or Chicago where I used to live and I could take buses almost anywhere at anytime. Public transportation in Portland in reality is very limited for those who would wish to depend upon it as a sole means of transportation. In order to make that work you have to choose your neighborhood carefully and it is usually going to be the more expensive ones. And even then we have only a very few crosstown buses so often one has to travel downtown and then back out again to go from one neighborhood to another.
As an example, if I want to go to a nearby hospital complex that is only four miles away it takes maybe twenty minutes by car. I have to take three buses and make two transfers going towards the facility using public transportation. It takes over an hour. The alternative is to go in the opposite direction to downtown and then backtracking by taking another bus along another route that goes directly to the complex.
Due to the frequency with which the buses run, taking in the transfer and travel times, and these are considered "frequent Schedule Routes" it would also take about an hour. All for a four mile journey. This is typical of the way the routes are planned and is why people do not want to used public transportation as their sole means of getting around unless they have to.
It really bugs me that I have posted this reality so often on CD in response to the myth that it is so easy to live car free in Portland. I just don't know why people form other places keep touting this idea that it is especially with the ever increasing fare hikes and cutbacks in service. I won't even go into the huge financial scandals going on with the present general manager and the way things are being run that have really soured the Public on much of the organization.
I have lived in Portland for 35 years. I moved here in '78. Public transportation was better than but has greatly changed to evolve into one that does not serve the needs of anyone who wishes to depend upon it solely to get around. It is good for those who wish to supplement their driving which is why that 80% who do take it all have cars. And many have bikes too.
People support it out of convenience and for no other reason.
I can not stand public transport. Have been without a car for a few years now - but taking the street car or bus or subway is just tedious. Plus if you are poor like me...You might find it expensive. Three bucks for a one way ride..and three bucks back- I can buy a pack of cheap smoke for 6 bucks...So it either go somewhere where I don't need to go or sit around killing myself with cigarettes. So I smoke and watch the world go by.
I never understood that mentality. To each their own.
I am one of those 16%. I can tell you that from actual experience from living here and using it that our public transportation system is geared towards morning and evening rush hour commutes and going to one time entertainments events if the hours match. That's it.
It is not like living in a city such as San Francisco where trains run at all hours or Chicago where I used to live and I could take buses almost anywhere at anytime. Public transportation in Portland in reality is very limited for those who would wish to depend upon it as a sole means of transportation. In order to make that work you have to choose your neighborhood carefully and it is usually going to be the more expensive ones. And even then we have only a very few crosstown buses so often one has to travel downtown and then back out again to go from one neighborhood to another.
As an example, if I want to go to a nearby hospital complex that is only four miles away it takes maybe twenty minutes by car. I have to take three buses and make two transfers going towards the facility using public transportation. It takes over an hour. The alternative is to go in the opposite direction to downtown and then backtracking by taking another bus along another route that goes directly to the complex.
Due to the frequency with which the buses run, taking in the transfer and travel times, and these are considered "frequent Schedule Routes" it would also take about an hour. All for a four mile journey. This is typical of the way the routes are planned and is why people do not want to used public transportation as their sole means of getting around unless they have to.
It really bugs me that I have posted this reality so often on CD in response to the myth that it is so easy to live car free in Portland. I just don't know why people form other places keep touting this idea that it is especially with the ever increasing fare hikes and cutbacks in service. I won't even go into the huge financial scandals going on with the present general manager and the way things are being run that have really soured the Public on much of the organization.
I have lived in Portland for 35 years. I moved here in '78. Public transportation was better than but has greatly changed to evolve into one that does not serve the needs of anyone who wishes to depend upon it solely to get around. It is good for those who wish to supplement their driving which is why that 80% who do take it all have cars. And many have bikes too.
People support it out of convenience and for no other reason.
Well thanks for providing that information. To outsiders like me, Portland seems like an amazing car-free city. It has plenty of light-rail lines, a streetcar, etc. It seems like a properly designed city. Looks like something you would find in Europe.
I would never guess in a million years that it's the opposite. Do you have any experience with Seattle? I have found that to be a good car-free city based off my personal experience. I'm sure people do live car-free in Portland, though. I mean, I'm doing that in Los Angeles right now.
Well thanks for providing that information. To outsiders like me, Portland seems like an amazing car-free city. It has plenty of light-rail lines, a streetcar, etc. It seems like a properly designed city. Looks like something you would find in Europe.
I would never guess in a million years that it's the opposite. Do you have any experience with Seattle? I have found that to be a good car-free city based off my personal experience. I'm sure people do live car-free in Portland, though. I mean, I'm doing that in Los Angeles right now.
I have heard both good and bad about Seattle. I don't know anyone there who lives car free but I have known people there who do both. I think they are building a light rail system. I took their BRT a long time ago and found it to be good but limited. A friend used to commute from Federal Way to downtown Seattle with no problem.
I haven't been there in years though.
There is a very good perspective on Portland's public transportation system and the company that is running it. Jeff Gianola one of our KOIN news commentators did a two part in depth interview with Neil MacFarlane the General Manager of TriMet. It's on YouTube. It was a shocker even for those who knew a lot about what was going on there.
The light rail and streetcar are some of the biggest bones of contention.
I have heard both good and bad about Seattle. I don't know anyone there who lives car free but I have known people there who do both. I think they are building a light rail system. I took their BRT a long time ago and found it to be good but limited. A friend used to commute from Federal Way to downtown Seattle with no problem.
I haven't been there in years though.
There is a very good perspective on Portland's public transportation system and the company that is running it. Jeff Gianola one of our KOIN news commentators did a two part in depth interview with Neil MacFarlane the General Manager of TriMet. It's on YouTube. It was a shocker even for those who knew a lot about what was going on there.
The light rail and streetcar are some of the biggest bones of contention.
I'll check it out, thanks. We can't expect transit to be of the New York level, but I'm assuming it has to be much easier to live car-free in Portland than it is in Los Angeles.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
