seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,467
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Aug 1, 2023 16:32:00 GMT
I chose no. I love rural and there is ZERO public transportation out here in the boonies.
When I Iived in the CA Bay Area I rarely used it once I started driving but I 100% COULD use it if I had to. It’s not fast nor convenient but it is there.
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Post by gar on Aug 1, 2023 16:34:50 GMT
In your eyes, what is the difference between your suburb without public transportation (I assume of any kind including rides to the dr for the elderly) and suburbs with public transportation? Pssttt - that's where the poor people live
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Post by workingclassdog on Aug 1, 2023 16:34:52 GMT
Nope there is no good public transportation from where I live. It would take me probably 1 1/2 hours to get to work. Bus is the only option. Unless I use my private helicopter.. haha.. I would have to drive to the bus stop parking, take an express downtown, find the connecting bus.. and I know there isn't a stop by my work, so would have to walk the rest of the way. I can drive it in about 30 minutes.
I do, however, carpool. I drive every other week and that is four days. We both work from home on Fridays.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,682
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Aug 1, 2023 16:45:39 GMT
Small rural Midwest town, no public transportation beyond school buses here.
Where I grew up, in a Midwest city, there are/were buses and primarily poor people rode them. I haven’t worked or lived there in about a dozen years but still close enough and I don’t think much has changed. I don’t know any adults who don’t own a car (in fact all the married couples I know each adult has their own car) public transportation is only used when there are absolutely no other options. Not saying that’s right, I wish there wasn’t such a stigma attached to it but around here there still is. (Side note: I wonder if it’s the location, while I’m not in Detroit I’m close enough that lots of people either work directly for one of the Big 3 or one of their suppliers)
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,338
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Aug 1, 2023 16:58:15 GMT
Add me to the no public transportation where I live list.
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Post by elaine on Aug 1, 2023 17:01:23 GMT
I chose "train" although it's actually the subway, not an above-ground train like the kind that goes between cities. Yes, I take it when I go into DC because you couldn't pay me enough to drive into that city. Otherwise here in Northern Virginia I drive to wherever I need to go. We have good public bus routes but I've never needed to take one. Same for me!
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Post by Tearisci on Aug 1, 2023 17:07:44 GMT
In my DFW suburb, there is no public transportation and you need a car for everything.
Before moving here, I lived in the heart of DC and took Metro everywhere or walked. I had a car but would only use it to drive outside of the District. I also took Uber a lot if I didn't feel like walking or it wasn't close to the Metro. I never took a bus because it seemed intimidating to me. I'm sure it would have been fine but I'm not used to bus service.
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Post by katlady on Aug 1, 2023 17:08:35 GMT
In your eyes, what is the difference between your suburb without public transportation (I assume of any kind including rides to the dr for the elderly) and suburbs with public transportation? Pssttt - that's where the poor people live I guess I've been poor most of life and didn't know it!
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pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,762
Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Aug 1, 2023 17:10:19 GMT
We use the Arrow Train and Metrolink Train but for enjoyment. Not to get a place for work or school.
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Post by gar on Aug 1, 2023 17:12:48 GMT
Pssttt - that's where the poor people live I guess I've been poor most of life and didn't know it! Seems you’re not alone 😊
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Aug 1, 2023 17:13:25 GMT
We have no public transportation where I live, but I enjoy taking advantage of it on travels. Rubbing shoulders with a 'poor' on a subway is generally much more enriching to my life than waving sterilely at an 'elitist' in her air-conditioned bubble.
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pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,762
Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Aug 1, 2023 17:13:41 GMT
There is no public transportation in my city. I do not like or use public transportation. I love having a car. We visited DC, Boston, and NYC this summer and never once used pubic transportation. I want to walk from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car, drive to my destination, park directly at my destination, and walk into my air conditioned destination. I do not want to live in a walking town. I don’t want to be in a confined area with other people. I don’t want to smell their smells and hear their sounds and feel their movements. I want to be in my own bubble (my car) with a physical barrier between me and other people. I’ve mentioned on other threads that public transportation is actually a political issue here. Suburbs fight buses being able to come into their city and city council members and mayors actually run on whether they support or oppose bus service for the city. I remember when I was a kid bus service was trying to expand into the suburb I lived in then and it was a huge fight and my parents and all my friends’ parents were vehemently against it to the point that we all participated in protests against it. So, it’s a deep rooted prejudice against public transportation for me. I do understand the need for public transportation in a big city like NYC where there just isn’t parking and isn’t enough room for everyone to have a car. But here, 100% buses are for poor people and there is a stigma that goes with it. There is extremely limited rail service. If I were going to a concert in Dallas I could drive a few suburbs over, park, and ride the rail into Dallas. But I would rather drive. There is no amount of traffic or high price of parking that would make me want to ride the rail instead of driving. And I can leave my A/C house, go to my A/C car, drive to a nice parking structure that is cool, hop on an A/C Train, go to a destination and either get off and take some steps to it (beach) or immediately get on an A/C bus to my destination. But I am not in your fake life Texas so...and thank God.
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Post by jackietex on Aug 1, 2023 17:14:43 GMT
I rarely, like less than once a year rare, take public transport. I live within a couple miles of almost every place I go, so I can go months between gas tank refills. During the school year I go to my daughter's apartment that is about 35 minutes away (and an hour return trip), but it would be way, way longer if I took the bus. Fortunately she's moving a lot closer soon. I live just outside of Austin, Texas.
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Post by lurker on Aug 1, 2023 17:20:11 GMT
No public transport available where I live. We use the subway when we visit NYC. No way I would drive in that traffic!
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Post by Linda on Aug 1, 2023 17:22:16 GMT
no only because there isn't any.
As a non-driver - I WISH we had public transportation - we don't even have taxis, there's one person who drives sporadically for Lyft/Uber, and there is a paratransit option (for elderly and disabled).
I loved visiting my kids - their city has buses, there's a tram in Yorktown, there's Amtrak (I took Amtrak there), there are ferries. It's awesome. My daughter doesn't drive and when DS31 was buying a house, he prioritised it being close to a bus line knowing she would probably be moving in (which she did). He was away for a week of my 3-week visit last year and DD22 and I went all over by bus.
DD16 is on our family's traditional 16th summer trip -travelling solo to visit family and get out and explore. She took Amtrak up there, she's used the buses in their city and of course all three of them were in DC this weekend - DS did drive to Alexandria (where they stayed nights) but they used buses and metro into and around DC
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,378
Jun 25, 2014 23:25:39 GMT
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Post by katybee on Aug 1, 2023 17:24:08 GMT
I did when I lived in SF. I rode BART, Muni (train/subway) and the occasional bus.
I would take the train in Austin anytime I needed to go downtown (I happened to live 2 blocks from a train station). And if I came home too late for the train, I would take an express bus (they were really nice). But overall, Austin’s public transportation was very limited outside of downtown.
I don’t use it here in Santa Bárbara. But my SIL (who doesn’t drive) takes the bus to work everyday.
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Post by myshelly on Aug 1, 2023 17:30:05 GMT
I use the bus and train a lot *weeps in poor*
You don’t live here, though. I totally understand that in other places the culture of public transportation vs cars is different.
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Post by compeateropeator on Aug 1, 2023 17:35:15 GMT
I voted no. Public transportation is not abundant or readily available in my neck of the woods. I also work 2nd shift and totally not available for these hours. So my reason is it really isn’t an option for where I live.
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Post by myshelly on Aug 1, 2023 17:35:24 GMT
I live in a car city. I just do. If you want to live here, it’s expected that you have a car. If you don’t have a car, choose a more walkable city or a city with buses. I get that that is a privileged and entitled statement. I get that it’s not fair. I get that it’s classist and elitist and whatever else. BUT I also get that it is what keeps my suburb the way it is compared to the way the suburbs with bus service are. In your eyes, what is the difference between your suburb without public transportation (I assume of any kind including rides to the dr for the elderly) and suburbs with public transportation? The suburbs that allow public transportation quickly become overrun with apartments and low income housing. Everyone who can afford to leaves. The suburb declines. The suburbs that don’t allow public transportation remain more single family homes than multi unit dwellings. Tend to have better schools, attract more restaurants and better stores, retain higher property values. I understand that not every place is like this. Of course if you live in a big city public transportation means something different. If you live in a European city, public transportation is different. I simply live in a place with a car culture and I like it.
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Post by roundtwo on Aug 1, 2023 17:47:11 GMT
when I lived in London,the bus and tube was the best way to get quickly around the city My Oyster Card was my best friend when I lived in London - it was such a seamless way to get anywhere and everywhere. I live out in the country now and there is no public transportation. I do take a train to visit my family in other parts of the province once in a while but I still need a car at both ends of the journey.
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Post by MichyM on Aug 1, 2023 18:44:32 GMT
In your eyes, what is the difference between your suburb without public transportation (I assume of any kind including rides to the dr for the elderly) and suburbs with public transportation? The suburbs that allow public transportation quickly become overrun with apartments and low income housing. Everyone who can afford to leaves. The suburb declines. The suburbs that don’t allow public transportation remain more single family homes than multi unit dwellings. Tend to have better schools, attract more restaurants and better stores, retain higher property values. I understand that not every place is like this. Of course if you live in a big city public transportation means something different. If you live in a European city, public transportation is different. I simply live in a place with a car culture and I like it. Thank you for answering. I'm curious, are there (local to you) studies and/or statistics to back this up? Or is it just a general feeling amongst those you know/the general public in your area? I'd especially be curious to see studies that follow the "decline" of a Texas community specifically linked to the addition of public transportation to the area. I don't even know how I could google that to get what I want, so if you have any ideas I'm all ears.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,714
Location: Houston, TX
Jun 25, 2014 22:47:49 GMT
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Post by smartypants71 on Aug 1, 2023 18:49:32 GMT
I love public transportation. However, I no longer take it bc I go to my gym at work at 5am, and the bus intervals are really spaced out at that time in the morning, so it's not terribly convenient. I live 5 mins from work, so it is not that big of a deal to drive. I came to this thread specifically to see what myshelly would say, and I was not disappointed. So weird.
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Post by anniefb on Aug 1, 2023 18:57:57 GMT
In Auckland the public transport system is pretty good if you need to go from a suburb into the city centre but not that great if you are travelling across the city or from one suburb to another.
I live on the north shore of Auckland where we have very good bus services, including separate busways and bus stations along the motorway with very frequent services a few minutes apart at peak times but no trains (they can't travel across the harbour bridge). I always get the bus to work and it takes me about 25 minutes door to door (catching a feeder bus and then changing to one of the frequent services that go up and down the busway into the cbd.) A new harbour crossing is planned which will probably be a tunnel and will carry light rail in the future.
There are various train lines in the Auckland isthmus area that go to the south, west and east of the city and that network is in the process of being expanded and extra stations put in. The work has been going for a number of years with terrible disruption, particularly in the central city area. There's a push to get more people into public transport and cars off the road but the reality for a lot of people is that they do need to drive, especially to go to work.
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Post by myshelly on Aug 1, 2023 18:58:43 GMT
The suburbs that allow public transportation quickly become overrun with apartments and low income housing. Everyone who can afford to leaves. The suburb declines. The suburbs that don’t allow public transportation remain more single family homes than multi unit dwellings. Tend to have better schools, attract more restaurants and better stores, retain higher property values. I understand that not every place is like this. Of course if you live in a big city public transportation means something different. If you live in a European city, public transportation is different. I simply live in a place with a car culture and I like it. Thank you for answering. I'm curious, are there (local to you) studies and/or statistics to back this up? Or is it just a general feeling amongst those you know/the general public in your area? I'd especially be curious to see studies that follow the "decline" of a Texas community specifically linked to the addition of public transportation to the area. I don't even know how I could google that to get what I want, so if you have any ideas I'm all ears. I haven’t done any research, my statements are based on my observation. It also just makes sense to me, logically. If you literally can’t get around without owning, maintaining, and fueling a car, then of course that is a financial barrier to living in a particular city. If you can’t pass that financial barrier, you’ll go to a different city. In some quick reading though, according to D Magazine, 91% of Texans rely on cars as their primary form of transportation. Only 6% use public transportation “regularly.” The bus stigma is certainly not just a me thing. Here’s a quote from governing.com - “In the United States, unlike in a lot of other wealthy countries, buses are stigmatized. It creates a negative feedback loop where policymakers don't pay attention to buses because they don't have a strong constituency, which makes bad service more likely, which means only lower-income folks ride it.” From vox.com - “ It’s no secret that America doesn’t value public transportation. However, the bus holds a special stigma that cars and even the train doesn’t. The source of this disdain for the bus may seem obvious at first glance. Buses are often hot, slow, and can get stuck in traffic. But anyone who rides the subway knows these frustrations to be true of the train as well. What city transportation bureaus really have to overcome is the cultural perception that buses are, frankly, gross — also known as the “bus stigma.” The stigma against taking the bus can be seen everywhere. Articles like Thought Catalog’s 9 Reasons Why Taking the Bus is The Worst, a piece that baselessly claims “statistically on a crowded bus of 40 people there is going to be at least 5 robbers,” riddle the internet. Even less severe pieces, like this one by Lifehacker, cite “weirdos on the bus” as one of the challenges of taking public transportation. And in movies and television, characters who ride the bus are often down on their luck. The Pursuit of Happyness, 8 Mile, and Superbad all paint the bus as a grimy last choice, not an agreeable option.” There’s thousands of articles about “bus stigma.”
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Post by Linda on Aug 1, 2023 19:00:07 GMT
The suburbs that allow public transportation quickly become overrun with apartments and low income housing. Everyone who can afford to leaves. The suburb declines. that sounds very much like white suburbs wanting to stay white and keep the poor, apartment/low income housing using, public transportation riding POC away.
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Post by katlady on Aug 1, 2023 19:01:43 GMT
I kind of get what myshelly is saying. There are coastal cities here in San Diego County that are quite elitist. The city of Del Mar fought to get the train station in their city closed because of potential undesirables getting to their city. Del Mar doesn’t even like that the county fair grounds is on the border of their city. Brings in the wrong people, but horse racing is ok with them. Another city here kept stalling on the opening of a major street because they didn’t want the people from the “poorer” cities of Oceanside and Vista having easy access to their city. They have even kept most big box stores out of their city. Not right, but it happens.
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Post by MissBianca on Aug 1, 2023 19:16:42 GMT
Currently on the train headed into Boston. But I have to drive to train stations in my area to take public transport. Our public transportation is severely lacking, especially if you need to get across the middle of the state.
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Post by MichyM on Aug 1, 2023 19:24:31 GMT
Thank you for answering. I'm curious, are there (local to you) studies and/or statistics to back this up? Or is it just a general feeling amongst those you know/the general public in your area? I'd especially be curious to see studies that follow the "decline" of a Texas community specifically linked to the addition of public transportation to the area. I don't even know how I could google that to get what I want, so if you have any ideas I'm all ears. I haven’t done any research, my statements are based on my observation. It also just makes sense to me, logically. If you literally can’t get around without owning, maintaining, and fueling a car, then of course that is a financial barrier to living in a particular city. If you can’t pass that financial barrier, you’ll go to a different city. In some quick reading though, according to D Magazine, 91% of Texans rely on cars as their primary form of transportation. Only 6% use public transportation “regularly.” The bus stigma is certainly not just a me thing. Here’s a quote from governing.com - “In the United States, unlike in a lot of other wealthy countries, buses are stigmatized. It creates a negative feedback loop where policymakers don't pay attention to buses because they don't have a strong constituency, which makes bad service more likely, which means only lower-income folks ride it.” From vox.com - “ It’s no secret that America doesn’t value public transportation. However, the bus holds a special stigma that cars and even the train doesn’t. The source of this disdain for the bus may seem obvious at first glance. Buses are often hot, slow, and can get stuck in traffic. But anyone who rides the subway knows these frustrations to be true of the train as well. What city transportation bureaus really have to overcome is the cultural perception that buses are, frankly, gross — also known as the “bus stigma.” The stigma against taking the bus can be seen everywhere. Articles like Thought Catalog’s 9 Reasons Why Taking the Bus is The Worst, a piece that baselessly claims “statistically on a crowded bus of 40 people there is going to be at least 5 robbers,” riddle the internet. Even less severe pieces, like this one by Lifehacker, cite “weirdos on the bus” as one of the challenges of taking public transportation. And in movies and television, characters who ride the bus are often down on their luck. The Pursuit of Happyness, 8 Mile, and Superbad all paint the bus as a grimy last choice, not an agreeable option.” There’s thousands of articles about “bus stigma.” Interesting. It sounds like it’s mainly a perception thing. That’s a shame. I appreciate you answering my questions. This whole public transportation is bad thing is as foreign to me as using public transportation is to you. I’ve been using public transportation on my own since I was 10-11 years old. I walk or use public transportation a lot. In 2014 I bought a 2013 car with 11k in mileage. Nearly 10 years later I’ve only added 20k to it. So we are living our lives at very opposite ends of the public transportation spectrum.
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kate
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,528
Location: The city that doesn't sleep
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Jun 26, 2014 3:30:05 GMT
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Post by kate on Aug 1, 2023 19:27:43 GMT
Public transportation (bus and subway) every day. I love it. I've lived in other cities with robust public transport, and I've also lived in a large-ish Midwestern city with not-great public transport. I used buses and/or trains in all of those places. I use public transport whenever possible when I travel - I haven't rented a car in years.
It was fantastic for my kids to be able to get themselves to school and to extracurriculars around the city without my having to drive them! They started commuting on their own in 5th/6th grade.
I'm fascinated by the dissing that public buses are getting on this thread. I tend to think of them as more safe than the subway, and there are plenty of wealthy neighborhoods in NYC where there is little train service but plenty of bus service.
My kids in college find it bizarre that their classmates don't take advantage of the bus service in their college towns.
Full disclosure: my family currently has a car, which comes out maybe 2-3x/month. DH and I have gone through years of having one and years of not having one.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Aug 1, 2023 19:37:44 GMT
I get the frustration with the lack of public transportation in the US. What most people don’t really look at is that other than large eastern-ish big cities, most metros in the US developed after the introduction of the car. There is no putting that genie back in the bottle. We are not as constrained by lack of open land and we are not a thousand year old country with dense population centers that developed over a millennia.
I live in a midwestern city that provides public transport in the older eastern part of the city. It’s also the poorer part of the city. We have new Orbit buses with nice stops, but they are time consuming unless you are taking the main line from downtown to the mall. They do provide bike racks for riders. But there are not enough riders to make it feasible for commuting to all areas of the city.
We are also fighting about a tram/light rail from downtown to our large hospital/med school. This was a condition of Mutual of Omaha building a new skyscraper downtown. I live close to the terminus, so this is a boon for me. But 95% of the rest of the city, not so much.
I moved to my neighborhood so that I would NOT have to drive to do anything other than work. But, not everyone has that option. This was my choice after moving from the DFW area with an awful commute and need to drive to do anything.
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