The Wonderful World of Public Transportation

Have you ever wondered why some people are vehemently against the use of mass transit and while for others it is their only means of transportation? Well I did and that is why I have started an inquiry about just that; why some people will never take mass transit and why for others it is their only means of travel specifically when they don't have to. Being a New Yorker, I am totally for mass transit. I do not own a car and I don't have the urgency to get one when I am in a city surrounded by buses and trains that I can take instead. I get around town mostly through the use of the subway system. From where I live on the border of Brooklyn and Queens, for me, the subway is the fastest and simplest means of travel into Manhattan. It takes 20 minutes on the L to get to 14th Street. It takes 50 minutes to get from my stop on the L to 137th Street and Amsterdam Avenue with the use of only 1 transfer. In my opinion, this beats the street traffic, the hassle for trying to find parking, the worry of my car getting stolen, ticketed, or vandalized, the cost of gas and the cost of maintenance just to name a few.

Is the NYC MTA the best means of travel?

For some, the answer is NO! Some New Yorkers say that the wait time for trains, the noise, cleanliness and the crowding are enough to keep them away from mass transit. While I agree with them on this point, that indeed it is frustrating having to wait for trains and fight for a seat, I would much rather do that than have to get stuck in traffic behind the wheel of a car. Instead, I sit back and let the conductor worry about driving while I do other things. Personally, I find the train to be a very productive means of getting things done for the most part. Whether it is reading a book, doing homework, grading papers, or listening to my Ipod, I am usually always making use of my travel time.

Throughout my inquiry, I have read articles dealing with why people take mass transit and why some do not. One in particular that I found interesting was written by a blogger named Lisa Newton from Los Angeles. http://www.travelinlocal.com/10-reasons-to-use-mass-transit/ Lisa provides her reader with 10 good reasons why people use mass transit. She lists them as: " 1. Getting to be outside, walking, in touch with your local environment 2. While waiting for the bus, you can talk with clients, friends, and family uncluttered by having a steering wheel glued to your hands. 3. Read a book, magazine, or even a Kindle. 4. Save time because many buses have their own bus lane. Plus, if you’re stuck in traffic, it’s much more relaxing to sit back and let someone else do the driving. 5. Save money—Just think, no parking fees, no meters, no high gas prices, and less wear and tear on your car. 6. It’s easy – with a monthly Btap card. 7. The opportunity to be independent and free. 8. Added time to work or play on your laptop; or to just relax and daydream. 9. To save the planet by reducing carbon emissions, reducing pollution, and reducing smog 10. Set an example for others in your community".

I agree with Lisa's reasons behind why people use mass transit and I have had very similar experiences that she has while taking bus trips around NYC. I think that she has some very valuable points that not only apply to LA but also to NYC. Lisa talks about the comfort she has with sitting back and relaxing on the bus. She also mentions that she gets a lot of work done on her trips as well. As she walks her reader through her journey on the public transit she touches upon some of the very same reasons that I take the buses and trains in NYC. I think her blog is worth visiting for some insight.

Another source of pretty accurate information in reference to the the NYC subways is provided by NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign. http://www.straphangers.org/statesub09/ Here the NYPIRG provides the state of the subways report card for 2009. Every year this organization puts out a report card for the best and worst subway lines in the city. They rate the lines based on their findings of what New Yorkers want which according to them is, "They want short waits, trains that arrive regularly, a chance for a seat, a clean car and understandable announcements that tell them what they need to know. That’s what MTA New York City Transit’s own polling of its riders shows". They go on to state their findings on each of the aforementioned criteria and then they explain how they came up with their statistics and their grading system. The part that I especially found interesting is that it voted the L train as being the worst line to get a seat on in the most congested part; whereas according to them, you have only a 24% chance of getting a seat. This is very accurate in my opinion. In fact, I could even tell you that, specifically, I feel the worst place to get a seat on the Brooklyn bound train during rush hour is at the Union Square station. The place that I see it getting the most congested on the Manhattan bound trains are Lorimer and Bedford which are the last two stops in Brooklyn before the train goes into Manhattan. Now don't get me wrong, it is congested all along the line during rush hour, but it is so congested that often by the time it gets to Bedford Ave., people have to wait for the next train and on occasion the train bypasses this station. The likelihood of finding a seat at that stop is VERY low during rush hour specifically in the morning.


Another interesting statistic that I found from this report is that the L was deemed number 1 in cleanliness. This too I will agree with because for the most part the L is clean when comparing it to other trains. Additionally, I agree with the idea of report cards being given out to the subway system and its lines. I think that is good to know that other people feel the same way that we riders do. Heck, if schools have to have quality reviews now why not the subways,right? Yes, that's all great but my question to the Straphangers organization is now what? What happens to the lines that fail? I mean if our school gets an F on the report card, the Board of Education comes down hard on us.

What does the MTA do if a line gets a bad report?



At this stage in my inquiry, I am interviewing people to find out why they do not take mass transit and why others do. While I know the majority of reasons why people do and do not take mass transit, I want to see some of the specifics. Particularly, I would like to know why people that live within the 5 boroughs; Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, do or do not take public transportation. Specifically, some of the questions that I want answered are: Do you use mass transit? Why do you use mass transit? or Why don't you use mass transit? How do you get you work and/or school? How long is your trip to work and/or to school? Do you feel mass transit is an effective means of travel?


My next steps in my inquiry are to get answers to my surveys and begin to analyze the answers. I am also in the process of viewing interesting videos shot by New Yorkers in the WNYC's series Door to Door. Below are two videos from commuter's that document their trip to work using mass transit.


This is commuter Steven Jones from Cambria Heights:





This is commuter Ray McCarthy who takes the Yonkers ferry to work.