Reply #43: I deal with more crazy people when I drive... [View All]

[Telly Savalas]

than when I take transit. (e.g. "If we're doing 60 MPH and I have to brake suddenly and you are situated only half a car length behind me, you WILL hit me and injure me. So back the fuck off, you psycho.")

Buses rock. I can read while on the bus. You can't read while driving, although some try. (See title of post again.) I find it liberating not to have to deal with paying attention in congested traffic or not having to deal with finding a parking spot. And I see a lot of wealthy-looking people on the buses and subways around here who must feel the same way.

Low population density is an impediment to effective public transportation. Having human scaled, pedestrian friendly spaces is critical. Since the bus or subway isn't going to drop me off at the front door of my destination, the space between the transit stop and destinations needs to be short and walkable. 6-8 lane roads, giant parking lots, and subdivisions with needlessly large spacing between houses prevent this from happening. (Don't even get me started on suburban "business parks" where the buildings are all 2 stories or less and situated a half a mile from one another.) So rather than accomodating an unhealthy and environmentally unfriendly car fetish, we should start planning our cities in a manner that facilitates the growth of public transportation.