Public Transportation
Most people in a room probably commute to class, or work by car, every single day. Tampa, Florida has approximately 390,000 inhabitants. It is a middle-sized city with a lot of traffic, partially because public transportation is not popular, not accessible or has a bad reputation. According to the American Public Transportation Association, 45% of the people in the US do not have access to public transportation forcing many people to use cars. In charts provided by Vehicle Technologies Office, numerical values have shown that the US uses way more gas than other countries with a similar number of cars per 1,000 people. Results have also shown that a vast majority of people drives to work by car alone. Just 4.7% of people use public transportation to go to work (Vehicle Technologies Office 2014). The current situation related on the United States public transportation system has called attention for reform that has been ignored city inhabitants, state officials, and national government due to the fact that the benefits have not been clearly stated.
Many myths have been created declaring public transportation to be horrific everywhere in the United States. By having public transportation implemented in every state, the familiarity of this way to travel would eliminate any ill thoughts that people may connect with public transportation. Quora.com mentions that Washington DC is the most “European” due to the fact that it has trains all over town, to the outlaying areas like Baltimore and Virginia as well as to most major cities on the east coast. They also mention Atlanta, San Francisco and of course New York as cities with good public transportation. In other neighboring states, especially in the south, public transportation is not the best, especially not between cities due to the fact that there is no true experience on a train, bus, etc. For example, having a high-speed train that connect the city centers of the major cities of Florida: Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee, Jacksonville – would be very convenient considering the fact that there would be no traffic and it’s affordable. Implementing this way of transportation would alter people simply because it is a convenient way to move around the state. College students would be benefited the most. Since paying tuitions is an absurd amount of money, public transportation allows for students to conveniently get from one place to another without worrying about a multitude of transactions being made just alongside their bookstore charges.
There is more than just creating public transportation that needs to be brought into light for this reform. Questions such as “how do we make people use public transportation?” and “how do we improve public transportation and make it attractive for all kinds of people?” need to be asked by state and federal government officials to best benefit citizens. The American Public Transportation Association, APTA, released a list of things local governments can do to improve the transportation in their area. The most important to step is to make planning a priority. The advice to make sure that public transit have to be part of the decision-making process when considering new public facilities. As an example, APTA mentions the New Jersey Transit Village Program. This program consists of five communities agreeing to creating mixed-used developments within a quarter mile of a bus or rail station. This fosters development and investment in areas near the transportation centers (Unleash the Power of Public Transportation 2018) The benefits to this program was In South Orange, NJ a vibrate center was developed around the public transit station, and now there are over 200 high-density housing units in walking distance to the transit station. Resulting in the public transportation being the center of their community so people actually have the realistic choices to take either the bus or train or their car.
Everyone feels more comfortable in a clean and nice-looking environment – so it makes sense to invest in the look of public transportation. APTA mentions the city Tempe in Arizona has an art-designed buses and shelters. When thinking of beautifully décor and sanitized train station, people often can see the Grand Central Station in NY. This specific station-which is one of the biggest public transportation stops- is not only for the beauty but how sanitized and historic it is. Looking at sanitation alone, public transportation reduces less air pollution. By allowing people to travel more efficiently, “the public transits produce a low rate of air pollution per passenger mile than a standard car carrying a single driver” (Transit 2017). Buses numerically emit 20% less carbon monoxide, 10% as much hydrocarbons, and 75% as much nitrogen oxides per passenger mile than a car with only one occupant, allowing for buses to be a healthier alternative for individuals and the environment.
The most important benefit that is the least credited would be the is the amount of money being saved. Public transit needs to be affordable and by affordable I don’t mean cheap, I mean taking the bus or train needs to have more financial benefits than taking the car. APTA mentions that communities could offer special promotions. The city Dallas offers special buses during the state fair that will take fairgoers from their free parking outside the center to the fair. In California, Sun Microsystems encourages their workers to use public transit with selling the tickets at work sites and giving great discounts on those. They also offer shuttle buses between work sites and the transit stations. Many cities around the world also offer free public transportation on days of a concert or sports event if you have purchased a ticket for the event. This being to keep the traffic moderate. It is said by the National Express Transit, that “taking public transportation instead of owning a second vehicle can save (on average) more than $9,823.” This is a significant amount of money that an individual can save by avoiding gas prices, service checks, parking and other expenses that may occur while having an automobile.
Less traffic just another big benefit. Public transit can convey many more people much less space than individual driving their automobiles. In turn leading for traffic congestion to reduce also lowe3ring stress that come from driving in area that have high traffic congestion (Transit 2017) It provides economic opportunities. The APTA states that every $1 that is invested in public transportation generates $4 in economic return. They also mention that home values performed 42% better when they were located near high-frequency public transit. Another big benefit is that it is really safe. A person reduces his or her chance to be in an accident by more than 90% by taking public transportation instead of the car. It is also much cheaper than having a car or using the car daily. A household can save up to $10,000 by using public transit and having one less car. And obviously it reduces carbon emissions. Many people that take public transit walk to their bus or train station so it also benefits our health because it promotes physical activity.
The current state of public transportation in the US offers many ways to improve and create new benefits. If public transportation reform was a priority on government official’s agenda, many citizens would be positively affected. Public transit allows citizens to find a way to go to work or class in a faster, cheaper and healthier way than going by car. By informing the public of the many benefits and opportunities public transportation brings, it can make a great change in many aspects – for the individual and for our society and even our world.
Work Cited:
1) “Facts”. American Public Transportation Association. https://www.apta.com/mediacenter/ptbenefits/Pages/FactSheet.aspx. Accessed 06 November 2018.
2) Jules Reed. “How bad is public transportation in the U.S.?”. Quora. https://www.quora.com/How-bad-is-public-transport-in-the-U-S. Accessed 06 November 2018.
3) “Unleash the power of public transportation”. American Public Transportation Association. https://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/10ways.pdf. Accessed 06 November 2018.
4) “Benefits of Public Transportation”. American Public Transportation Association. https://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/benefits.aspx. Accessed 06 November 2018
5) “Fact #841: Vehicles per Thousand People: U.S. vs. Other World Regions.” Department of Energy, Vehicle Technology Office, 6 Oct. 2014, www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-841-october-6-2014-vehicles-thousand-people-us-vs-other-world-regions.
6) Transit, National Express. “National Express Transit Blog.” Why Is Public Transportation Good for the Environment?, 18 July 2017, www.nationalexpresstransit.com/blog/9-benefits-of-public-transportation.