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Me too! Public transit with a combo of 2 different buses plus train plus 1 mile of walking would be over 2 hours. Compared to a drive of 25 - 45 minutes depending on traffic. Why in the world would I ever take public transit?
Sounds like a very inadequate public transportation system, a common problem in this country.
Sounds like a very inadequate public transportation system, a common problem in this country.
Not really. Depends on how far the two places are. I have personally rode an hour and thirty on public transit for a trip that could be done in 40 by car and the transit was not bad. It was either take the bus or walk to one of two EL lines get off downtown walk to another EL line get off and ride the bus to my destination. Any way about it all that walking, waiting and stopping is going to be slow.
Not really. Depends on how far the two places are. I have personally rode an hour and thirty on public transit for a trip that could be done in 40 by car and the transit was not bad. It was either take the bus or walk to one of two EL lines get off downtown walk to another EL line get off and ride the bus to my destination. Any way about it all that walking, waiting and stopping is going to be slow.
Chicago's transit is also lacking based on the size of the city and metro, so that doesn't surprise me that driving would be a little bit faster. Though the question would be, were you going a common route for lots of people to take or is this a route very few people would take?
Chicago's transit is also lacking based on the size of the city and metro, so that doesn't surprise me that driving would be a little bit faster. Though the question would be, were you going a common route for lots of people to take or is this a route very few people would take?
Tired argument.
The fact is just about everywhere public transit is slower than driving. Car and Advertiser did a humorous article comparing driving, transit, and foot in NYC. Even there, driving was faster for their particular route. Damn Manhattan and its lacking transit.
It takes me 20 minutes to drive from my house in Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh to my job in New Kensington.
It would take an hour ride on 2 buses by public transport.
The main difference is that the bus stops every 30 feet in like 8 different towns between here and there while the private car trip uses an expressway route driving at 55 mph plus.
Chicago's transit is also lacking based on the size of the city and metro, so that doesn't surprise me that driving would be a little bit faster. Though the question would be, were you going a common route for lots of people to take or is this a route very few people would take?
Depends on what you mean by lots of people take. I needed to go from the central west side of town to the far south east side of town. On each leg of the route the bus or train could be quite crowded, so yeah lots of people take the route but few people where heading from my starting point to my destination. A long time ago there was an more direct route but that direct route was an bad mismatch for the EL system and so the route was changed and even with the more direct route the time it took was about the same since that train is an bit slower and need to make almost as many stops.
The distance was about 17 miles but that 17 miles has 9 stops on one EL line and 12 on the other assuming about 1 min and 30 seconds per station for loading and unloading you get 31.5 mins alone just for train stops!!
A car would be going 55+ miles an hour the whole route. The green line can't go that fast because it is elevated(it would shake it's structure too much). The Blue and Red lines can barely approach that speed, because the train would be flying into the next station and so the EL rarely travels at it's maximum speed of about 55 miles and hour. It probably averages about 20 miles an hour when you count in stops. The non stop direct nature of the car often trumps public transit.
The fact is just about everywhere public transit is slower than driving. Car and Advertiser did a humorous article comparing driving, transit, and foot in NYC. Even there, driving was faster for their particular route. Damn Manhattan and its lacking transit.
Yes, I am sure when one cherry picks a route, even driving can be faster in NYC.
Transit should be at least on par with driving, the fact that it isn't in most places in the US shows how inadequate transit is in this country.
It will never be on par with driving unless you cherry pick the route. Those stops add up. From the link the Car is only 16 mins faster which isn't much gain and is much more expensive than public transit. However in most places the car isn't going to cost you $36 a trip extra and trains don't run faster outside of rush.
Transit should be at least on par with driving, the fact that it isn't in most places in the US shows how inadequate transit is in this country.
Transit is inadequate in most countries by that measure.
In special circumstances, like those folks in New Jersey hoping to go to New York, its undoubtably more convenient I'm sure.
And I suppose that in certain other highly congested cities where transit has its own right of ways, it could be more convenient as well.
Although in 99% of the country, transit will always be a less convenient choice for travelers. Not only the time the trip takes, but also that it is subject to periodic labor disputes and other things beyond the traveler's control which make it less dependable.
It is a good choice for those wishing to pinch pennies, or those who can't afford more expensive means.
If its taking you 25 minutes to clear a mile on foot, then you are probably someone who shouldnt be walking
It could be a mile uphill. Aside from that, Google uses a walking speed of 3 mph when giving directions, which means a mile takes 20 minutes. Counting hills (or even stopping for traffic signals and the like), 25 minutes doesn't mean the poster is out of shape or anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lookb4youcross
Seriously, how is public transit practical? Like another poster mentioned, you have to adhere to certain times that it is operating. You can get in and drive a vehicle at any time of the day or night. I know there are idealistic zealous advocates out there that want people out of their personal vehicles real bad for some reason, unfortunately their utopia is unrealistic ( not compatible with reality )
Not necessarily. Depending on the transit system, you might have 24/7 service, with relatively frequent service even during off-peak hours. The Lexington Avenue Express runs every 2 minutes during rush hour, and even in the middle of the night, you have 10 minute headways along Lexington Avenue (albeit local-only service). Plus bus lines operating on the surface as well.
Now granted, that's often not the case in many parts of the country (or even many neighborhoods in NYC), but it's not like transit is only practical in some utopian society.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam
The problem with your idea is that not everyone living further out wants to come in. If they live north of the city, they may not want to go south at all- maybe they need to go east or west or north. The hub and spokes configuration that you're alluding to makes assumptions that aren't true in all- or even a majority- of cases.
If someone lives 15 miles due north of the city, and their employment destination is 13 miles NNE of the city, its a long slow bus ride to get them into the city to go back out.
The system might be hub-and-spoke with a few circumferential lines thrown in to serve the types of trips you described.
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