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.
I don't know anyone in Westchester who drives to work--unless they work nearby, like my wife.
Hmm...some people must be driving to work, unless those daily traffic reports of horror stories on the Major Deegan and Bronx River Parkway are all fake. Either that, or there are a lot of people in Westchester you don't know.
Hmm...some people must be driving to work, unless those daily traffic reports of horror stories on the Major Deegan and Bronx River Parkway are all fake. Either that, or there are a lot of people in Westchester you don't know.
True enough. I suppose some people work too far from Manhattan to make the train work, or else just prefer driving. But most Westcheterites work in Manhattan and take MetroNorth. We have an amazing commuter rail that is comfy, quiet, and extremely reliable.
Actually, I suspect "most" people in Westchester don't work in Manhattan. Just like "most" people on LI don't either.
Your car will not get 30mpg consistently, so you can't use that figure to estimate fuel costs. Until recently I drove a Skoda Octavia 1.6 (similar to a VW Jetta, slightly smaller engine), and I didn't get 30mpg consistently. Stop-go traffic is hell on the fuel efficiency. As for cost, I was paying $9/gal (this was in London). Believe me, I changed my driving habits at that price and so did many people. (In my 4 years in the UK, petrol went from 80p/L to 120p/L)
The idea that everything is fine because I am paying 20 cents a mile is preposterous. Keep believing the fantasy, and while you think the only pains of the changes that are occuring is 20 cents a mile in commuting costs, your friends/neighbors will be singing a different tune shortly, if they are not doing that now.
Winter should be fun too...wonder what those heating bills will be for all those 2,500++ sf homes.
Really? Most? LIRR has a daily average ridership of 288K (not all of whom are commuters anyway) and a population of 2.6 million, of which approximately 1/3 work. You're forgetting all the teachers, local government workers, retail workers, people who provide local services, not to mention the dozens of office parks and companies on LI.
City commuters no longer outnumber intra-suburban ones and haven't for some time. The proportion of commuters who travel by train into Manhattan has been steadily dropping for decades. Those people on the LIE aren't driving into Manhattan. They're going to Melville, Lake Success, or Islandia.
The proportion of commuters who travel by train into Manhattan has been steadily dropping for decades.
I don't think MTA is spending countless millions of dollars on that new LIRR tunnel into midtown Manhattan for a ridership that has been, as you claim, "steadily dropping for decades."
Guywith, it is becoming apparent that you are stuck on your fantasy even though it is based on nothing but hype. The actual increase in the cost of heating your home in the last 5 years has been pretty negligible compared to basic cost of living increases. Since I put in the pellet stove, my heating bills are a third of those of my friends with brownstones and stand-alone houses in Brooklyn. So I guess you think that Brownstone Brooklyn, the Ditmas Park area, and most of Queens are all going to crumble too? I suppose that explains why the place in the tri-state area with the highest number of foreclosures is Queens? Prior to putting in the stove, my heating bill in winter was about $500/month--add that to my taxes and the cost is still less than monthly maintainance on most family-sized apartments in Manhattan. You may have a cause, but you don't have a clue.
Hey the reality is it costs you just 20 cents a mile and nothing else has changed/effects anyone..so there is no problem. It is all just part of our imagination.
I don't think MTA is spending countless millions of dollars on that new LIRR tunnel into midtown Manhattan for a ridership that has been, as you claim, "steadily dropping for decades."
Um. Proportion, not raw numbers. But yes, it has dropped. Highest ever ridership was 1949. Second highest was last year. It's perked back up in the past couple of years as gas prices have risen.
The East Side access project is because the current setup can't handle passenger numbers, and because they believe it will attract more riders. The LIRR is also trying to attract reverse commuters.
In any case, don't believe me, believe the census and its maps on proportion of people commuting by public transport:
Long Island Census Data (http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/exhibits/census/li.htm - broken link)
This is from 2000, so I'm sure the proportion has risen somewhat (especially in Nassau where the train is a viable proposition) but there is simply no way "most people" are taking the train. The majority of people I know on LI (born and raised there) drive to work on LI.
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.
