USA Today reports that “fewer Americans commuting solo.” As the story says, “The dismal economy and skyrocketing gas prices may have accomplished what years of advocacy failed to: getting more people to stop driving solo.”
To put some numbers on this, Wendell Cox
points out that the number of people commuting solo has declined from 104.86 to 105.64 million. That’s a minus 780,000-person decline, also known as an 780,000 person increase.
A few days ago, USA Today reported that “bikes rule the road” in Portland. In fact, the 17,000 people commuting to work by bicycle reported by USA Today increased to nearly 19,000 in 2011, but this still represents less than 7 percent of commuters. So in what sense can 7 percent “rule the road”? Perhaps only because the 202,000 commuters (73 percent) who drive to work live in fear of hitting a cyclist.
Meanwhile, Slate reports that Los Angeles will soon be “America’s next great mass-transit city.” Apparently, the path to becoming a “great mass-transit city” requires the construction of a lot of rail transit for relatively wealthy people while cutting back on bus service for relatively poor people. In other words, intentions, not results, are the key.
As the Antiplanner’s faithful ally, Tom Rubin, points out, transit agencies today are planned and managed by the middle class who want to design transit systems for “people like us.” That means expensive trains, because “people like us” supposedly won’t stoop to riding a bus. If it means less transit service for “people like them,” meaning the working class, no one notices, because none of the middle-class planners and managers know any of the working class except as people who serve them meals and clean their offices.
Andrew: I find it hilarious that buses are pushed so hard on here by a clique of people who quite honestly would never set foot in a bus in any normal setting in the US – i.e. Greyhound or urban inner city mass transit.
THWM: Andrew, you’re absolutely right about that!
Personally, I (and my friends) ride buses in both urban inner city mass transit (though perhaps you don’t think Seattle counts) and in intercity non subsidized transport (Bolt Bus and Megabus). I also know a fair amount of people who quite honestly would never set foot in a bus in any normal setting– and then vote to cut bus spending but in favor of spending a lot on the trains (serving the airport and expensive business districts only, natch) that they’d be glad to ride.
Which is more hilarious, middle and upper middle class people pushing government to provide more services for the poor, or middle and upper middle class people pushing government to cut services for the poor while expanding services for themselves?
Bolt Bus and Megabus are cross subsidized through the infrastructure they use.
The question being. How many advocates practice what they preach. If you don’t practice what you preach, you probably shouldn’t be telling other people how to live their lives. I don’t know but it’s as if a middle class person will burst into flames like a vampire in broad daylight (take that Twilight) by stepping on a bus.
Very few. Consider the case of my favorite District of Columbia politician, former Mayor-for-Life and current Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. Barry has always been quick to speak out in favor of transit (and against non-D.C. residents with the temerity to drive their cars into the city), yet he seldom, if ever, uses transit himself, except perhaps at transit ribboncuttings.
Good point, as leading from the front is respectable. But shouldn’t a policymaker consider ideas other people may need, rather than ideas they need for themselves? I think your criticism is both fair and unfair, so its good you brought it up.
Well I ride both buses and trains.
Highwayman:
Why don’t you bike? I’m one of the heartless/earth-killing libertarians you froth about ad nauseum, yet I bike every day. Despite living in a rainy climate with a family, kids in school, pets, extremely busy schedule, etc.
Since you’ve established yourself as a paragon of virtue and ethics, environmentally and otherwise, why don’t you commute solely by bike, which would generate the lightest carbon footprint of all these modes of transport?
Just curious!
So why are you complaining about nothing Iced?
Am I too pedestrian for you?
Last Wednesday the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration approved the initial segment of the $63 billion California High Speed Rail project. Construction will begin in 2013 on the first 65-mile second of the proposed 800-mile line, which will eventually run from San Francisco to Sacramento to Los Angeles. Though California cannot afford this costly transportation plan (with cost ballooning from $45 billion to $63 billion to $100 billion), Governor Jerry Brown supports this plan with notions of job creation and greater mass transportation. The last major opposition to the HSR plan could be the farmers’ unions in the central valley of California. The production of California’s central valley provides produce for much of the country, and recent battles about water rights have also spurred political issues by the farmers’ unions. California’s. I don’t know who is gonna pay to ride the first 65 miles?
The Antiplanner wrote:
As the Antiplanner’s faithful ally, Tom Rubin, points out, transit agencies today are planned and managed by the middle class who want to design transit systems for “people like us.†That means expensive trains, because “people like us†supposedly won’t stoop to riding a bus. If it means less transit service for “people like them,†meaning the working class, no one notices, because none of the middle-class planners and managers know any of the working class except as people who serve them meals and clean their offices.
Those transit agency planners are wrong. I don’t think most prospective transit patrons (for bus or for rail) care that much about steel wheels on steel rails or rubber tires on pavement.
What they do care about is a clean transit vehicle that runs reliably on-schedule, does not leave them sitting for extended periods because of equipment failures, has heat during the cold months and air conditioning during the hot months. Some transit patrons may be able to save time by using transit, but that is rare, as most transit (including rail transit) is local, and stops at every stop.
In my opinion (and I am not the first person to say this), the biggest potential for fast and reliable transit is buses running on uncongested managed lanes, either HOV lanes, bus-only lanes (such as the Lincoln Tunnel contraflow lane that brings express buses from the HOV lanes on the N.J. Turnpike in to Manhattan), HOV/Toll lanes (Virginia will be running such service on the new I-495 express lanes starting around the end of this year), or lanes that are managed “purely” by price, with no HOV requirement (Maryland is doing the latter with bus service on the InterCounty Connetor).
The Shirley busway in VA lost 2/3rd of its riders from when it opened in the late 1960’s, the DC area didn’t start to regain transit riders till metro opened.
Randal, I don’t disagree that there is a bus stigma and the Free Market should do something to change the perception.
However, what the USAT said in the body of the story was:
and
Wendell is hiding these facts when he presents the numbers the way he does. I wonder why he would want to hide these facts? What’s in it for him? And why would someone link to him when this is well-known?
DS
Houstonians suffer no stigma riding the bus. Houston once had one of the most cost effective, bus only transit systems in the country with an increasing ridership year after year. It served every class of rider from the very poor, to the working class through the blue suits riding downtown. Then they started to decrease bus service in order to promote the light rail line. Overall ridership has declined every year over year since the first light rail line was introduced.
“Perhaps only because the 202,000 commuters (73 percent) who drive to work live in fear of hitting a cyclist.”
So is the real problem a lack of training?
Yes. On the part of bicyclists. If I have to have a license to operate a motor vehicle on a public road, then bicyclists, who often blatantly disregard the rules of the road, should also have to undergo training and licensing and a revocation of licenses for traffic offenses.
If you require a license to ride a bicycle, why not one for walking along the sidewalk?
Bicycle training, as in many parts of Europe, should be done during the school curriculum.
Unless car drivers are better in the USA than in Europe, then car driver training would also be a good thing.
“Perhaps only because the 202,000 commuters (73 percent) who drive to work live in fear of hitting a cyclist.”
I relish the thought of hitting a cyclist, like the one who almost ran me over as a pedestrian because he was running a red light. Can’t wait for the day that a cyclist again runs a stop sign, this time to collide with the grill of my Jeep. I will sue for the emotional distress of hitting another human being who couldn’t follow the rules of the road.
On an OT note, but one dealing with arithmetic and rail:
71% of Europeans in favour of more competition in national and regional rail:
So Frank tell me why there isn’t an open market place here in America with different train operating companies?
Because the federal government conferred a monopoly on Amtrak.
Say, Andrew (highwayman) why don’t you provide me with some personal information, you know, what industry you work in, how many children you have, where you went to high school/college (assuming you did either), what city you live in (I’m assuming Orlando based on your IP), etc. Thanks in advance! 🙂
Frank; Because the federal government conferred a monopoly on Amtrak.
THWM: Nope, it’s not because of Amtrak.
Frank, can you tell me why there isn’t an open market place here in America with different train operating companies?
Frank, can you tell me why there isn’t an open market place here in America with different train operating companies?
That’s easy, I think it has something to do with people not wanting to use rail in general unless it’s highly subsidized by car drivers.
I didn’t say it was because of Amtrak, Andrew.
If you need some reading help, please let me know by emailing me at frank@mailinator.com. Please provide your full name, address, telephone number, and I will provide you with reading instruction at no charge.
In the meantime, try reading this article if you are able. Write a brief summary including the main idea and supporting details.
TTYL 🙂
Metrosucks; That’s easy, I think it has something to do with people not wanting to use rail in general unless it’s highly subsidized by car drivers.
THWM: Well that’s putting the carriage before the horse.
Oh wait, roads would still be there even if there were no automobiles!
Bikers rule the road because drivers fear hitting them! That’s classic. See this is why I still stop by this site every other month.