public transit Vs. cars? what do you think?

Question

I've lived in both cities with good transportation systems and in cities where cars were a must...in your opinion, do you think cars are better than public transit or vis versa? thanks for your time

Answer 1

PUBLIC TRANSIT!!

Public transit is better for the environment, people will tend to walk a little more so areas w/ good public transit tend to have lower rates of obesity and public transit alleviates traffic.

Unforunately transit is not a reasonable alternative in many communities. This is mainly because of the way development has happened in the united states. There are tons of sprawling suburban communities which are very difficult and expensive to serve w/ public transportation. Public transportation only works well in areas with high densities of population.

However, due to how far many americans commute to work traffic has become a serious problem. Due to the way the US Interstate system was originally built, many of the highways have completely reached capacity and would be impossible or ridiculously expensive to widen any further. The only solution to alleviate these congestion (and environmental) especially with how quickly population is growing. Another factor to take into consideration is the aging of the baby boomers. As they become to old to drive, having a good public transportation system that provides a lot of service will become increasingly important.

Public transportation is a great solution to many problems american communities, cities, and towns are and will be facing. This is widely recognized so transportation agencies are beginning to provide incentives to cities and developers for building high density mixed use developments that will be easy to serve with public transportation and are also walkable communities (can easily walk to the grocery store and other necessary destinations).

Answer 2

In many cities in the U.S. public transportation is simply not an option. Whether or not it's an option also depends on where you live and work. However, when there is a reasonable way to get to your work with public transportation, I think public transportation is always better than cars. Here are a few reasons why:

(1) cost -- public transportation can be very cheap. cars are very expensive, when you consider the wear and tear on your car, parking costs, gas, insurance, and the cost of the car to begin with, it all adds up to far more than public transportation ever costs.
(2) your time -- when you're in a car, you have to be concentrating 100% of the time. on a bus or train you can relax and look out the window, or you can use the time to read or do something productive.
(3) safety -- car accidents are common and are a common cause of death, injury, and of course, costly damage to your car which can make your insurance go up. Train accidents are virtually unheard of, and bus accidents are pretty uncommon, and when they happen people riding the bus are rarely injured. public transportation is hands down safer than driving in a car!

I recognize that public transit is not an option for most Americans. Most cities in the U.S. don't have thorough transit systems. However, if you're lucky enough to live in a place with good transit, I think it's the best option out there.

I want to add as a final note that in the long run, even in the U.S. you can choose to live somewhere that has good public transit. Larger cities like NYC and Chicago have good transit, but even in smaller cities like Cleveland, OH, there are certain neighborhoods with good access. Boston also has excellent transit.

Answer 3

If you're living with your parents and don't plan on taking the car to California, buying a car to use it for a year is not going to be financially wise. As much as I dislike public transportation, if your city has decent public transportation that is cost efficient (my city has an expensive and disgusting public transportation system), it might be worth it. Calculate how much it would cost to ride public transit to where you need to go in a month to see if that's a viable option. Biking is always an option but problems arise in inclement weather, and believe it or not cars are far safer. A car is the most luxurious route, but calculate in the cost of parking (if you have to pay to park), and depreciation, and you will be spending a lot of money. Biking is fun and healthy but can be a huge pain in the rain or snow. I'd probably end up using public transportation. Carry mace and you'll be fine.

Answer 4

Well if I live and worked in the same city, that would be great. Would save an hour commute each way. Plus the price of a car, insurance, and fuel for two people in one household. So say it costs 150 a month on the subway/mass transit to get around, I have my truck paid for, and i spend 300 a month on fuel and what ever else. I mean I would still probably only own a small car for road trips etc, but commute on the transit. Plus its easier to people watch that way.

Answer 5

For me it came down to if there were enough places that supported my life really near by. Such as, post office, library (1 block away) grocery store (across the street and 1 block away), general shopping (huge mall 5 blocks away and stores all over), restaurants (one right below me on 1st floor!) and access to public transit (bus stop 1 block either direction) and light rail, trolley, just 3 blocks away. I saved lots of money when I lived at this place. When I moved out of this neighborhood to a move traditional one, the bus system was a hindrance. Imagine having to carry 4 bags of groceries on a crowded bus. And arriving anywhere on time required that I leave my apartment at least 2 hours early!! Cars make life easy, but If I could live back downtown I could do without my car.

Answer 6

Well i live in new york city and it depends where in the city you are goingg if you are goin somewhere that parking isn't hard to find or expensive i take my car if I'm going to Times Square or a tourist hot spot i take the iron horse saves money buy not time . Ne-way its basically depends on if you have the time and money or you don't.

Answer 7

I think it depends on where you a going to which on is best..