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>> I'm pretty optimally situated to take advantage of public transit. I don't doubt that public transit is the worse choice for you, but I wanted to comment on

>> I'm pretty optimally situated to take advantage of public transit. I don't doubt that public transit is the worse choice for you, but I wanted to comment on an attitude this line reminds me of. People expect that public transportation will, when it "works," be better than having their own vehicle. If driving to a destination is faster and more pleasant, then the system has failed. In general, there are two problems with this. First, the system was not designed for your trip - your car is. You car will (almost) always be better than any general purpose transport system. The measure of a transport system is how many places you can get to in an acceptable time frame with acceptable reliability. Obviously, as reliability increases and the time frame shrinks, the system improves. Think about the cost of your vehicle (both up front and continuing) and multiply that by the population of your city. We pay quite a lot for the quality afforded by a private vehicle. Second, I think that many people judge trips from a point of view that's heavily conditioned by experiences in private vehicles. I like taking the subway to work because it lets me read for 25-30 minutes. I like it because I don't have to pay attention and can safely think about other things while I'm traveling. Many people aren't used to the different texture of traveling with a crowd of strangers, and I think that effects their assessments of the overall system.

tptacek 15y ago
(Picking your comment to respond briefly to). I want to avoid giving the impression that I'm arguing against public transit, even in my case. Public transit is by far the more cost-effective option, even if you factor the cost of my time. It's also more responsible, and less error-prone. What I was responding to was a series of comments along the lines of "cars suck, I can't imagine why anybody uses them". Well, I use them to save a couple hours of my day every day. I have a 12 year old whose middle school bus doesn't come by until 8.30; if I took the train, I'd get in to work every day at 10:00AM.
- aeturnum 15y ago
  I'm actually a huge car fan too. My friend and I drove around the south-western US during a summer in a way that would be impossible without a car. Though I take BART to work, my girlfriend drives (and it makes sense for her). I guess I was trying to point out the differences in philosophy between private ownership and a public system - your post seemed agreeable enough that I wouldn't incite an argument :).

tptacek 15y ago

(Picking your comment to respond briefly to). I want to avoid giving the impression that I'm arguing against public transit, even in my case. Public transit is by far the more cost-effective option, even if you factor the cost of my time. It's also more responsible, and less error-prone. What I was responding to was a series of comments along the lines of "cars suck, I can't imagine why anybody uses them". Well, I use them to save a couple hours of my day every day. I have a 12 year old whose middle school bus doesn't come by until 8.30; if I took the train, I'd get in to work every day at 10:00AM.

aeturnum 15y ago
I'm actually a huge car fan too. My friend and I drove around the south-western US during a summer in a way that would be impossible without a car. Though I take BART to work, my girlfriend drives (and it makes sense for her). I guess I was trying to point out the differences in philosophy between private ownership and a public system - your post seemed agreeable enough that I wouldn't incite an argument :).