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In my opinion, a good public transportation system is one that will allow a city resident to live comfortably without a car, and is a system that is used by people of all economic levels, not just by people too poor to afford alternatives. There are precious few of those sorts of cities in the US.
j33, you are so correct! We are city dwellers, but are forced to go to the suburbs (god-awful malls) to do our shopping because there's not much left in the city for retail. There is bus service to the malls, but it's lousy. I am fortunate that my employer is downtown so am able commute by bus, about 25 minutes one way. Many of my co-workers who live in the sub- and exurbs drive to work and spend 35-45 minutes one way! (Most could take a bus, but would have to drive to a Park & Ride lot, then get on a bus that's totally at the mercy of the crowded freeways). My wife's employer moved her office out of the city to a suburban "office park" a couple years ago. She could take the bus, but would involve a transfer (at a mall) with a 20 minute wait for the second bus, plus it only runs once per hour. So she's forced to drive.
IMHO, Americans were in a much better situation when we didn't have to drag a "vehicle" with us every place we want to go! With the exception of a few cities (NY, San Fran, Boston, Philadelphia, Portland Or) come to mind our current choices are limited to "highway or the highway"!
Ben -- your story probably reflect how it is for most people. I'm a bit of an except because I've lived without a car in Chicago comfortably for years, I could afford to buy one if I wanted to, but find that it is more trouble than it would be worth when the train outside my door runs 24/7.
As "recycled" said, San Francisco has a fairly good system. It's not technically a subway, since those aren't really earthquake-safe... but BART goes underground to cross the Bay, and Muni's J-Line (I think that's the one?) also goes under briefly. Anyway, you can get pretty much anywhere on Muni or BART, and rather quickly. Muni is a bit filthy though, and I've seen roaches crawling around on more than one bus... not to mention, there's usually a homeless person sleeping in the back, but I don't mind that so much.
My biggest complaint with Muni & BART, are the routes they take... I understand they can't travel straight across the city, because of some nasty hills, but it can get ridiculous! I used to live in the Sunset, and worked around Bayview - and it took a good 45-60 minutes on Muni, despite it being only a 6-mile drive. That's because they would loop around the bottom, into Daly City & past Cow Palace... rather than using Ocean Ave., which would be twice as fast. Guess they have no choice? (and it may have changed since then, as I lived there 10 yrs. ago!) I also have problems with transportation on the Peninsula, which is basically nonexistant.
Ben -- your story probably reflect how it is for most people. I'm a bit of an except because I've lived without a car in Chicago comfortably for years, I could afford to buy one if I wanted to, but find that it is more trouble than it would be worth when the train outside my door runs 24/7.
You know. I really wish I had the ability to edit posts. Because if I did, I would correct the insane grammar unfortunately displayed above, caused by typing quickly and hitting post before proofreading, then getting a phone call during the time allotted for editing.
I live in a large metro area (orange county, CA) and use a bicycle for general transportation almost every day. I commute to work, run errands and get around the area on bicycle. There are bicycle lanes along the right shoulder of almost every main through street around here. I use lights, reflective vest, rear view mirror on my safety glasses frame, and ride in a safe manner to avoid problems with cars. Weather is nice year round except when Santa Ana winds are howling (like right now!) or a few times a year when we get some good rain storms. So far this "winter" it has been desert bone dry, with maybe an inch of rain total in the last 3 months.
I have used bicycles for transportation in many other parts of the country but it requires a more perserverance and grit compared to here. It's still enjoyable and realistic, but few take this route. Oh yeah, I use a car mainly for trips to "escape the OC" every once in awhile.
I live in a large metro area (orange county, CA) and use a bicycle for general transportation almost every day. I commute to work, run errands and get around the area on bicycle. There are bicycle lanes along the right shoulder of almost every main through street around here. I use lights, reflective vest, rear view mirror on my safety glasses frame, and ride in a safe manner to avoid problems with cars. Weather is nice year round except when Santa Ana winds are howling (like right now!) or a few times a year when we get some good rain storms. So far this "winter" it has been desert bone dry, with maybe an inch of rain total in the last 3 months.
I have used bicycles for transportation in many other parts of the country but it requires a more perserverance and grit compared to here. It's still enjoyable and realistic, but few take this route. Oh yeah, I use a car mainly for trips to "escape the OC" every once in awhile.
very nice...
what about rents and safety (crime rates) in your area? more info would be great.
Orange County, CA has a ton of info posted in the "Los Angeles" forum. It is a mixed bag of pros and cons to the extremes. I am in the southern part of OC, south of Irvine. Weather is as mild as can be, so I use very little heat or AC during the year. The only cheap thing here is the utility bill because of that. Crime is extremely low, safety is extremely good, cost of living + taxes are extremely high (House = $700K minimum, 1+1 apt = $1350+ per mo.). Look up City Data for Mission Viejo, CA as an example. Public transportation is available, bus routes run all around the county, but they aren't real quick. I can often get somewhere faster by bike than bus, but I take the bus on occasion and lots of other people use it too. There's also the Pacific Surfliner Amtrak train route that goes from San Diego to Santa Barbara via LA, that stops at several places in OC. Several times a year I pedal my bike to San Diego (about 90 miles) and take the train back north to Irvine station and pedal home. Makes for a nice day trip and it's a beautiful ride right along the coast in many sections. In three or four years I will have had enough of techie work in the cubicle and retire from full time work, move somewhere a little more affordable and less uptight, that is also good for pedaling around on the bike too.
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San Francisco...
That's because they would loop around the bottom, into Daly City & past Cow Palace... rather than using Ocean Ave., which would be twice as fast. Guess they have no choice? (and it may have changed since then, as I lived there 10 yrs. ago!) I also have problems with transportation on the Peninsula, which is basically nonexistant.
