To expand on this, since I responded quickly before having to jump on a work call:
I live in DC, where we have a pretty good metro and bus system. But there are so many places they don't go, or don't go efficiently! And Ubers and Lyfts have gotten real expensive. I am about to move from living right above a metro station and within one block of numerous bus lines, to living five blocks from two bus lines, only one of which goes to a useful location for me, and a 25 minute walk to a metro station, and I am thinking a lot about how much more I'm going to have to drive or pay for Ubers/Lyfts. If my new place - which is in a very popular and populated part of town! - was closer to more public transit, it would make it so much more convenient to get together with friends, I'd be better able to go to local businesses vs ordering things online to be delivered to me, and I'd be able to take advantage of more areas of this really robust city vs being more limited to whatever's along the green line + 64 bus.
I also consider the lack of robust public transit as being a barrier to community in that it means so many more cars on the road that pose dangers to kids, make it harder for cyclists to get around, block bus lanes, etc. Cars and parking are also the source of so much conflict in community discourse around here, so greater investment in and usage of public transit could mean a more cohesive community that doesn't fight with each other about quite so much.
I said this in another comment, but it's so frustrating how dc's public transit is focused on getting people from suburbs into DC to work and literally nothing else. transit to work is important! but so is being able to socialize with people who live in other suburbs while you're not working. I'll never get over the moment I realized as a teenager that the 25min drive from Takoma Park to my doctor's office in Bethesda would be a 90 minute train ride because of how the red line is laid out.
Public transit. I saw the prompt and didn't even have to think, it's better public transit that goes more places more quickly and more safely.
whew! Like make it easy for us PLEASE. I have a car and I prefer not to drive if I don't have to.
To expand on this, since I responded quickly before having to jump on a work call:
I live in DC, where we have a pretty good metro and bus system. But there are so many places they don't go, or don't go efficiently! And Ubers and Lyfts have gotten real expensive. I am about to move from living right above a metro station and within one block of numerous bus lines, to living five blocks from two bus lines, only one of which goes to a useful location for me, and a 25 minute walk to a metro station, and I am thinking a lot about how much more I'm going to have to drive or pay for Ubers/Lyfts. If my new place - which is in a very popular and populated part of town! - was closer to more public transit, it would make it so much more convenient to get together with friends, I'd be better able to go to local businesses vs ordering things online to be delivered to me, and I'd be able to take advantage of more areas of this really robust city vs being more limited to whatever's along the green line + 64 bus.
I also consider the lack of robust public transit as being a barrier to community in that it means so many more cars on the road that pose dangers to kids, make it harder for cyclists to get around, block bus lanes, etc. Cars and parking are also the source of so much conflict in community discourse around here, so greater investment in and usage of public transit could mean a more cohesive community that doesn't fight with each other about quite so much.
I said this in another comment, but it's so frustrating how dc's public transit is focused on getting people from suburbs into DC to work and literally nothing else. transit to work is important! but so is being able to socialize with people who live in other suburbs while you're not working. I'll never get over the moment I realized as a teenager that the 25min drive from Takoma Park to my doctor's office in Bethesda would be a 90 minute train ride because of how the red line is laid out.