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I don't blame you but this is a classic attitude from someone who has never experienced good transit, so assumes transit always sucks (and weirdly, then conclud
by galdosdi 10y ago
I don't blame you but this is a classic attitude from someone who has never experienced good transit, so assumes transit always sucks (and weirdly, then concludes we should not try to improve transit). This is like saying hamburgers are bad when you've only ever eaten them at McDonald's (and then mocking your friend who's trying to show you how to make a delicious hamburger from scratch by grinding up good cuts of meat).
> You won't convince a salesman to carry a projector, screen, and a box of pamphlets on the bus and train.
This would not be strange in Manhattan. You couldn't convince the salesman to waste his Time, which is a rare commodity for working people as you say, driving a car which would be slower than taking the subway.
> I'd rather sit and wait in traffic in my car than stand outside in the rain or snow waiting for a bus.
Subways avoid this problem. They're also expensive, but there's easier solutions -- bus and outdoor train shelters (which obviously protect from rain/snow) are sometimes heated in the northeast for this reason too.
Also, dealing with rain/snow is pretty easy and pleasant if you just dress right. The prevalance of cars in this country means many people never learn to dress right because they can get away with never spending more than 60 seconds outside, the brief space between the car and the building door.
> And on top of that, transit for me would be about $400/month.
Here it's $100 a month.
> I'm not sitting on a rough seat crammed next to 5 other people for 2 hours.
A lot of people find dealing with repetitive constant stop and go traffic but having a comfy seat to be a crappy tradeoff compared to having less space but freeing your mind to read, doze, whatever. There are crowded an uncrowded systems and lines.
Go try some good transit, then tell me what you think.
- tropo 10y agoAge, gender, disability, and political outlook all affect your perception of safety. This in turn determines if "freeing your mind to read, doze, whatever" is possible, or if instead you keep a very firm grip on your belongings while eyeing every other passenger with suspicion. Lots of people simply don't feel safe in crowds or without a door they can lock.
- Anasufovic 10y agoI can imagine this is true for tourists but I'd be interested to hear actual commuters say something like this. The definite pattern here is that so many have never experienced good public transportation. I drive to work for my commute and I don't feel safe at all dealing with the drivers who will do anything to shave off seconds from their commute.
- tropo 10y agoFor such people, transportation can't be good if it is public. Never mind the fact that it is transportation. Being unprotected in a city is threatening. Walking counts. Sitting in a park counts. Note that city and non-city have different political behavior. The people are different. Many people will simply never feel safe in a city environment. Private cars mitigate that somewhat.
- stephenbez 10y agoI'm an actual commuter in San Francisco. It is very dangerous. Just last month someone was stabbed on the bus I was about to get on, 1 block away. (http://hoodline.com/2016/10/woman-stabbed-last-night-on-7-haight-noriega-bus-at-market-hyde http://hoodline.com/2016/10/woman-stabbed-last-night-on-7-ha...) There are currently 6 crimes per every 100,000 miles on Muni (http://sfgov.org/scorecards/crimes-muni http://sfgov.org/scorecards/crimes-muni). If you commute 5 miles per day, that's 12,500 miles in a decade. I work near Civic Center, a dangerous area, so I assume it's probably 3x more dangerous than average so the equivalent of 37,000 miles. So each decade I ride transit, I'd be victim of over 2 police reported crimes.
- galdosdi 10y agoFair point. Counterpoint: If you commute by private car, how often can you expect to get into a wreck? I know plenty of people who are terrified of driving in the same way some posters here are terrified of urban crime. It all comes down to what environments you're used to. If you're used to driving down a freeway, you'll routinize and minimize the risk of being in a collision. If you're used to city life, you'll routinize and minimize the risk of being mugged. Also, once again, transit does not have to mean high crime. You're describing crappy transit systems. So let's improve those.