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.
My guesses were pretty much confirmed by this list. i was surprised how high SF was ranked, as every time I am there I feel like their transit systems are somewhat disjointed, and I would have thought this observation would translate to job accessibility. At first I was also somewhat surprised by LA ranking, but their bus system is pretty expansive and their rail system is getting better.
I would think DC would definitely be a lot higher, maybe even 2nd to NYC. With the addition of the Silver line, pretty much all the major job centers (Downtown DC, Bethesda, Tysons Corner, Silver Spring, etc) in the DC area are served by rail. I guess I can see SF, but definitely not LA.
More job centers = shorter commute lengths = easier access. That goes for people using transit too.
3. Rail is vastly superior to buses, but it's far less comprehensive, even at the city level. Most people don't live a block away from a train stop.
Put it all together, and it's easy to see why LA does well here.
None of these points are true, though.
LA does not have better bus coverage or higher bus ridership than other metros (adjusted for population).
LA has higher auto usage and longer commutes than most metros, so is more "gas guzzling".
LA doesn't have much rail, and this is a major drawback, not an advantage. Rail is the only way you can move huge numbers of transit passengers, and the only way you can have true transit oriented work centers.
It should be noted that this report is already in the process of being updated. The Accessibility Observatory did not include Minneapolis - St. Paul's new Green Line, which connects downtown Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, the Midway area, the Capitol area, and downtown St. Paul. Once completed, the Twin Cities area could jump one, maybe two spots.
LA does not have better bus coverage or higher bus ridership than other metros (adjusted for population).
LA has higher auto usage and longer commutes than most metros, so is more "gas guzzling".
LA doesn't have much rail, and this is a major drawback, not an advantage. Rail is the only way you can move huge numbers of transit passengers, and the only way you can have true transit oriented work centers.
Since you clearly didn't read the link I provided, I'll highlight the section that proves you wrong:
Quote:
But what about the city that everyone immediately associates with traffic jams and car culture:*Los Angeles. Incredibly, the city of angels is among the top gas misers. That’s because residents of centrally located areas of L.A. don’t have that far to drive to get to work or the beach. As a result, the L.A.-Long Beach area ranks second among the cities that use the least gasoline, just 630 gallons a year per household
As for LA having inferior bus coverage:
Rank / Metro /Access (Percentage Coverage )
1. Los Angeles 99.1
2. New York 98.7
San Jose 98.2
San Francisco 98.1
3. Miami 97.2
4. DC 96.4
San Diego 95.9
5. Chicago 95.5
6. Philadelphia 95.4
7. Boston 93.1*
8. Houston 73.4*
9. DFW 71.2
10. Atlanta 68.5
Well yea, if you pretend the IE is not a part of metro LA it looks much better. But we all know there are tons of people from the 909 who crawl 2-3 hours a day in traffic.
Well yea, if you pretend the IE is not a part of metro LA it looks much better. But we all know there are tons of people from the 909 who crawl 2-3 hours a day in traffic.
As if LA/OC wasn't monster big already. These much smaller metros shouldn't be having this much trouble overtaking it in these studies.
Well yea, if you pretend the IE is not a part of metro LA it looks much better. But we all know there are tons of people from the 909 who crawl 2-3 hours a day in traffic.
Even the IE is trying to improve by building some BRT lines.
When are we going to start counting Tracy and Stockton in with the Bay Area?
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.
