I started this thread in 2007 to show how one can live car free or car less in the Denver Metro area. There have been some significant changes in the system. First I wanted to cover recent studies that show how well Denver Public Transit is ranked as a Public Transit system.
One of the biggest studies is from the Brookings Institute with the study,
Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America It looks at the how good the public transit systems are in getting people to jobs in an area. Denver has been ranked number 6 out of 100 metro areas
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Fil...s/DenverCO.pdf
The full report is located at
Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metro America - Brookings Institution
It stands to reason that if more people can access their jobs by public transit then the public transit system can be considered a better system because jobs are all over a metro area, just as other amenities and destinations.
The Denver Public Transit System has been ranked as the No. 1 system by
U.S. News and World Reports 1. Denver-Aurora, Colo.: The 10 Best Cities for Public Transportation - US News & World Report
A just released report from the US Census titled:
Commuting in the United States: 2009
http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-15.pdf
shows that Denver is on the top of many cities in using public transit, Figure 6, Page 8 as No. 13 out of 50 metro areas.
Now I am not naive to believe that a report gives a full picture of public transit in the US. However, a combination of media stories and hard data do indicate that the Denver Public transit is considered among the best in the country, on some measures.
I have lived in NYC and in Europe and have used public transit frequently. Denver certainly does not compare to New York City or Paris or London--it is not in that league. But for a city of its size in the US, it is not a bad system.
I have lived in this area for 33 years and I have always been a big transit user. I now drive about 2500 to 3000 miles a year on my car, being retired but I just sold my car I bought new in 1994 and it had 74,000 miles. I had only one car, so I drove very little over many years; and I did not stay at home, I worked and I got around the city. That is why I know much about this city as I have seen it at ground level, on a bike, on a bus, on foot and not only through the window of a car, speeding by.
I am now disabled, so I now use the disability para-transit as well as regular buses and rail. I consider the Public Transit, a good system that has got much better over the many decades that I have been a rider.
Some posters have criticized the system, as a bad system. I find that many of these people are not frequent users or never use public transit--they are auto drivers. They never leave their car but will complain. They will never take public transit. Many criticize and do not live in Denver or have not lived here for years, so their familiarity of the system is dated and questionable.
Yes, the public transit cannot serve all needs. It cannot provide always the fastest service. It cannot service to all destination at all times. It is a shared service that must serve many people, so compromises have to be made. It may not provide the most economical service to everyone. It will have funding issues just like any other private and public enterprise and services will be cut to make budgets. No public transit system, including the largest in New York City can provide service for all the residents.
The public transit systems is not designed to take the place of cars. It is designed to work with highways and roads which also are a part of government funded public transit. Today we recognize other means of transit which are included in the transit modality, that is walking and biking.
Of course the public transit agency in Denver, RTD, does have problems but over time these problems are addressed and the system gets better and better. I will add to this thread about recent changes to the system and discuss further ways that one can use public transit more and your cars less by giving you my experience and hopeful get others in better using the system.
I really do not care about trolls who stick a quick post about how they will never use public transit. This thread is not to serve you. You have what you want, good for you.
We must keep in mind that many people cannot drive and own a car because they are old or disabled or poor or too young. These are the people that have more of an essential need for public transit. Are any of you so uncaring and unaware of other needs, that you will attempt to hinder me from providing this information?
There are others who have elected public transit because it serves some of their needs. If you do not need public transit and you are satisfied with your car, then this thread is not for you.
If your are upset about paying tax dollars for public transit then voice your opinion in the ballot box, as this thread is not for that purpose to argue for or against and is not for you. This thread is about providing information for people who have a need or desire to use public transit.
Livecontent