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The New Kensington area employers aren't centralized within New Ken at all. There is a hospital in downtown New Ken, Penn State is up on the hill, Pgh Mills is half a mile as the crow flies but a 3 mile drive to Frazer Township, PPG is just across the river from NK in Creighton.
Things are spread out throughout the urban area, makes the entire process of transit difficult at best.
And all of the employers run on different schedules, industrial, retail and medical facilities all start and stop at different times.
The transit dream works when virtually everyone works within a small geographic space and works from 8 to 4, or 9 to 5.
Which is why I stated it sounded like transit was inadequate there. It is hard to have a good transit system when a place is poorly planned and lacks a decent infrastructure. So obviously one is going to have driving be their only option to get anywhere in a realistic time frame where you live and commute to.
It would make no difference. I was on the west side. I needed to head east past state street and far south. It would make no difference where I traveled east. The only way the EL would work better than as car is if it ran at an angle to the south east and just happened to have stops near me and near my destination and given how slow/ how many stops a train has, if I so much as had to get an bus on my end to get to this line, it would be game over for the EL in terms of time.
I was not trying to bypass downtown. It just was not my ultimate destination. It was just an thru point and an important transfer point. The problem is that people commute at all hours not just rush. I have had to be places at 4 a.m. or run into situations where the train or bus isn't available until too late because I needed to start the commute at 6 a.m. but the train isn't running yet.
That sounds more like you needed an express train for how long of a rail commute you had. Also, I don't understand what you are saying, downtown wasn't your destination? Then you needed to bypass downtown to get to where you were going.
Also, as I have stated before, Chicago is far behind where they should be with transit. The EL should be at least three times it's current size right now.
A lot of people live in areas where public transportation isn't available or convenient.
I live on the outskirts of a small/medium-ish city in an AFB town in eastern NC. I'm sorry, but public transportation just isn't an option for many people. Affordable housing is about 5 miles (at the minimum...many live 10-15 miles away) from the base/major shopping, etc. in town. To catch the bus, you'd have to travel 3 miles (minimum) to a bus stop. By the time you get halfway there, there's no point in catching the bus. Cabs are few, far between and rather seedy-looking.
You're much better off driving yourself, even if you have a crap car. It'll be cheaper, more convenient and a whole lot easier.
A lot of people live in areas where public transportation isn't available or convenient.
I live on the outskirts of a small/medium-ish city in an AFB town in eastern NC. I'm sorry, but public transportation just isn't an option for many people. Affordable housing is about 5 miles (at the minimum...many live 10-15 miles away) from the base/major shopping, etc. in town. To catch the bus, you'd have to travel 3 miles (minimum) to a bus stop. By the time you get halfway there, there's no point in catching the bus. Cabs are few, far between and rather seedy-looking.
You're much better off driving yourself, even if you have a crap car. It'll be cheaper, more convenient and a whole lot easier.
That is a great example of how car dependent our country is. Without the car, one is practically stranded in much of our country.
Which is why I stated it sounded like transit was inadequate there. It is hard to have a good transit system when a place is poorly planned and lacks a decent infrastructure. So obviously one is going to have driving be their only option to get anywhere in a realistic time frame where you live and commute to.
People will live where they want to, and employers will set up shop where they want to, its up to transit planners to work around this flexible kind of situation. When New Kensington was founded, streetcar service was established between Natrona and New Ken, the city was founded upon the aluminum industry and provided housing and other services for the bulk of the workforce that worked in that industry. As the workers did better economically, they moved to outlying areas for more room and better housing and later their children did.
Urban planners can't force people to live any place in particular, nor can they require employers to set up shop where the transit is.
As long as you have a nation of free people, the dream of urban planning in regards to transit is a challenge.
People will live where they want to, and employers will set up shop where they want to, its up to transit planners to work around this flexible kind of situation. When New Kensington was founded, streetcar service was established between Natrona and New Ken, the city was founded upon the aluminum industry and provided housing and other services for the bulk of the workforce that worked in that industry. As the workers did better economically, they moved to outlying areas for more room and better housing and later their children did.
Urban planners can't force people to live any place in particular, nor can they require employers to set up shop where the transit is.
As long as you have a nation of free people, the dream of urban planning in regards to transit is a challenge.
I am unfamiliar with New Kensington and the structure of that area, so there is only a limited amount I can comment on, but based on your descriptions it sounds like they lack the needed transit to handle where the majority of people live to where they are commuting to. Maybe you guys are lucky enough that there is an adequate number of routes so that being limited to just driving isn't in gridlock each day.
I am unfamiliar with New Kensington and the structure of that area, so there is only a limited amount I can comment on, but based on your descriptions it sounds like they lack the needed transit to handle where the majority of people live to where they are commuting to.
Likely based on his description of the area, adding that "needed" transit would result in lots of buses that run mostly empty.
Quote:
Maybe you guys are lucky enough that there is an adequate number of routes so that being limited to just driving isn't in gridlock each day.
Not sure what you're trying to say here, not following your connection. If you're trying to say a lack of transit is likely to result in gridlock, that doesn't really connect. Look a the OP's numbers (which the conversation left): transit share is 5% nationwide. 5% not driving isn't going to make much difference in gridlock. Obviously for some routes and places, it does make a difference.
People will live where they want to, and employers will set up shop where they want to, its up to transit planners to work around this flexible kind of situation.
In reality, employers set up shop only where local zoning allows it.
Real world. In my town only 2 rail lines are 24/7 and they drop down to about 30 mins wait time per train at night.
Checkmatechamp13 is describing the real world, it's part of what he experiences. It may not be a common situation in this country but it is still the real world.
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