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Edwin Pawlowski at wrote on 9/1/05 10:18 PM:

>
> "-L." > wrote in message
>>
>> Really easy solution: Walk, ride a bike or use public trans.
>> Americans make themselves dependant on oil and then bitch when they
>> have to pay for it. Unbelievable.
>
> Not that simple. I have a 26 mile (one way) commute and there is NO public
> transportation available. Used to be a couple of trains that I could take,
> but they stopped running them after the 1955 flood.
>
> Your "simple" solution requires a revamping of the US economy, major changes
> in the infrastructure (highways and public transportation) and probably
> major changes in careers and job skills to locations closer to home.
>
>

The days of people working in the same town they live in are long over in
the US. People no longer have job security and there are no more "cradle to
the grave" companies. People are more apt nowadays to commute longer
distances rather than move for a job that might terminate them at a moment's
notice. You also have a predominance of two-career households, which you
didn't have 30-40 years ago. When the husband was the bread-winner and the
wife stayed home taking care of the home and the children, and the husband
worked in the factory or office building downtown, you could have 1 car
families and wifey could drive hubby to work and then use the car all day
with the kids, shopping, whatever family needs she had to take care of.
It's a different world today. I know a couple, both physicians...one works
in Boston, the other in Springfield. They live exactly half way between both
cities. This is what happens nowadays.

I'm not talking about major urban centers, which not only have dense
populations, but also are the area job centers and have
extensive public transportation systems. I'm talking about smaller cities
and the suburbs, where most Americans live. People outside of major urban
areas do not take public transportation unless it is convenient.

Having to pay $6 a day to park half a mile away from the bus or train
station is not convenient. Having to wait an hour for the next bus or train
because you got held up for 1 minute is not convenient. When you have to
spend $2 each way to take a bus to and from a train station, and then wait
30 minutes for the train or bus in either direction...and the train costs
you $7-8 dollars round trip each day, it really doesn't save you anything.
Not time, not money and certainly not aggravation. That's $12 a day for
commuting. Even at today's prices ($3+ a gallon), it costs $40 to fill up
my gas tank and I get 7 days out of it, rather than $60 for 5 days. And
heaven forbid you have to stay 10 minutes later at work: you then miss a
bus, which could set you back an hour on the next train!

Unless you live in a MAJOR CITY, such as Chicago, NYC, Boston, Washington,
etc....public transportation is a joke. In smaller cities, like where I
live, and in suburban areas, it is mostly used by the working poor, who
can't really afford it either but they lack the resources to buy, insure and
maintain their own vehicles.

The only way public transportation works is if it offers frequent service
and it's easy to access. Otherwise, it's more of a hassle than it's really
saving.

At one time, I worked across the street from the train station. I could
have taken the train to work, but I would have had to get the 2-3 miles to
the station somehow. There was no one to drop me off, which is the most
desirable option. Second option was to drive there. Parking permits costs
$300 per year and there's a 3 year wait list. Daily parking costs $6-7 per
day, and fills up by 6:30am. There are only a couple dozen spots for "day
parking". So you're up the creek. You can park in a lot half a mile away,
but give yourself time to walk to the station. Ok.....I lived on a bus line,
could have gone that way and did occasionally on snowy days. Bus came
roughly every 30 minutes, give or take 10 minutes. But there were only 3-4
trains to chose from. And they all left 20 minutes to an hour from when the
bus got there. Funny....In my car, I could leave my house at 8am and more
often than not get to work by 9am. If I went via the bus/train, I would
have to leave my house by 7:30 to make sure I was at the corner 10 minutes
before the scheduled arrival of the bus. It took 15 min to get to the
station plus 5 minutes to walk from the bus stop. So if you wanted to take
an 8:15 train, you HAD to be on that 7:45am scheduled bus. If you missed
it, you were outta luck. The next train to that station left around 8:45
and would get in after 9. The 8:15 would arrive around 8:35, not bad. I
could be in my office by 8:40. So it's still taking an hour plus 10 minutes
to get to work door to door. Plus you have the stress of worrying "Did I
miss the bus? What if I miss the train? If a person in a wheelchair needs
to get on the bus, we'll lose almost 5 minutes getting them secured....I
might miss the train!" Granted, you don't have the stress of sitting in
traffic, but really....you're just trading one form of stress for another.
It just isn't worth it.

The only really desirable option to help the environment and save money on
gas is to carpool. If you work it out amongst 2 or 3 people who live
relatively close to one another, you can cut your gas bill by 50-67%. Not a
bad deal.

I plan to find out from my co workers if anyone is interested in doing this.
It's good for everyone. The environment, the traffic, and it saves money for
each person.
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