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I'd add some outer New York areas like Jersey City, Hoboken, and Newark. Most people I know in Hob and JC don't have cars, though there are plenty around, and it's common in Newark and some of the Oranges too. PATH trains and many buses run 24/7 and zipcar is popular.
I'm just asking. I'm not familiar with the Twin Cities, but I have read somewhere that their transit runs all night. I live in the Boston area, which is pretty well covered as far as where you can travel on public transit, but the system closes down by 1AM, and earlier if you're boarding at an early stop on a line's last run. Enough people do need or want to be out late at night that it seems a transit system should score some points for running late. All night is even better. Of course, it's going to lose a lot of points if it doesn't cover much territory. How's the coverage in the T.C.? Did I read correctly that the transit runs all night? Just curious, since no one has mentioned that area here.
Well, the transit system here is OK, but far from being good. If you live in the city of Minneapolis or St Paul, bus coverage is pretty decent, some of the main bus lines run 24 hours, but not all. Light rail (service stops at 2:30 am/restarts at 4:30 am) was added but only runs North and South, so it goes from the Mall of America to downtown Minneapolis and places in between. There is no light rail going over to St Paul. If you live in a suburb like I do, bus service is precarious, sometimes non-existant. When I lived in Minneapolis, I got around just fine by riding the bus, but if you choose to live in a suburb like me, you will need a car for sure.
Its annoying if you want to live in a warm climate in this country, forget living without a car. If you find any with any form of transit such as some california cities your priced out of living there. We have pretty good transit here in Portland but Im sick to death of this gloomy wet gray climate.
Yep Jimrob, you have a problem. Whaddya gonna do? Buy a car, keep pushing money into it, just to live in a warm climate, or stay in the same gloomy Portland? Decisions, decisions.
I can only guess at what would be the BEST, but I've lived quite comfortably without a car in Chicago, Montreal (doesn't really count here), Boston, Arlington, MA and Medford, MA (since those last three are all a part of the same public transit system they should probably be counted as one though). So yeah, kinda the same as other people's lists.
My brother did live carless in LA for a while. It was difficult but at least possible where he was. His 5 mile commute took 1 to 3 hours each way depending on whether he was able to catch his connecting bus that only came once an hour.
aside from NYC, DC has the best train system.....It connects from the city limits to all the suburbs in Nova and Maryland(montgomery county & PG County). The transit system in DC is the second largest in ridership behing NYC. Oh and the DC subway is much cleaner, modern, safer.
As a Seattle resident for over 10 years, I cannot think of one reason why Seattle would be in anyone's list for best mass transit. There is only one light rail line and it is only downtown. The busses take three hours to get 20 miles, with transfers and waiting. Amtrak has some commuter service, but the start and end spots are away from everything, requiring ANOTHER bus to finish the trip!
Seattle should bring back light rail in the streets.
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