Mass Transit, Friend or Underutilized?

Public transportation is a great concept but poorly utilized in this country. In my opinion we cause this because we think mass transit is for lower income people. Our belief that personal freedom equals driving our own vehicles is a flaw in our thinking. Because of this shortsideness, Transportation costs the average household around 15% of their family income. Those expenses encompass car payments, gas and auto repairs. The following article gives insight on how our personal money is spent- http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/04/05/149997097/what-americans-buy

I feel Americans can be wiser and use alternative means of travel like buses, light rail and mass transit lines. We can also do more with ride share programs. How many times do you see John or Jane Doe show up at work in their nice 12 seat Lincoln Navigator with just one person, the driver, in the vehicle? Gas is not getting cheaper so take advantage of what’s around you. With all these positives of mass transit stated I know security and crime are still an issue.

How do we get people to believe that public transportation is safe? Most systems today do have firm rules in hand to protect passengers but the stations where trains dock are usually bland and isolated. There is no major appeal for everyday folk to use commuter rail especially if they have to walk 2 or 3 miles to get to a store or attraction once they arrive in the area they are travelling to. Now in Europe, where mass transit is in high use, public transportation systems have more to offer the average person.

Stations on rail routes have anything from grocery stores to restaurants. On top of that some trains have different classes of seating as well as food/beverage stands in the cars. The trains also connect to all ends of the continent so you do not have to fly to get anywhere and it’s fairly quick and affordable. If you went to use a subway in your neighborhood and it brought you to a station where there was shopping, groceries and other amenities like restaurants/banks and connected you quickly to destinations beyond your city and state borders, you would be more likely to use mass public transportation.

I unfortunately do not see much progress to make mass transit appealing here in the states. We need to start by raising awareness in the general public about the potential benefits of mass transit. Our government then needs to stop delaying the inevitable, that we are running out of oil stores, and start getting commuter rail systems built or updated. We also need to have better security in train stations and open up the land at these terminals to commercial development.

 A little security and consumer appeal goes a long way to attract more customers of public transit. Growth of the mass transit industry also sparks more job creation. All of the reasons mentioned are positive by-products of expanding the use of public transportation but the longer we wait for oil to magically fall from the sky the more we have Opportunity Lost…..

Here is a link to additional public transportation information- http://www.publictransportation.org/news/facts/Pages/default.aspx