Public Transportation vs. Cars in Large Cities

During this summer, I worked for my mom in downtown New York City (NYC). I live in a suburb of NYC, right across the Hudson River. The bridge and the buses across the bridge are a mere ten minutes walking distance from my house. Every morning after I got on the bus and crossed the bridge, I went onto the subway and took the 'A' train all the way downtown. These methods of public transportation were definitely more economical and convenient than driving to my mom's office every morning. Driving in NYC means dealing with traffic, finding seemingly non-existent parking, and spending a fortune over time on gas. Subways are the obvious alternative to driving in the city. Taking the subway is almost like a culture that I'm a part of; all over the place, there are posters and billboards of the distinctive New York Subway letters and entrances. Many people share the same feeling I have towards public transportation in New York City. Public transportation is the best method of travel for commuters in most large cities.

A very common sight: a traffic jam in NYC.

Unlike other large cities, the New York City subway system isn't severely marred by racism or the feeling of being 'lower' than someone driving. The general consensus among NYC subway riders is quite the opposite of that. A testament to that is the fact that many wealthy businessmen take the subway downtown to their respective stops on the subway map. I didn't explain my transportation experiences in NYC just because I wanted to; there are several important points in my summer daily commute. The first point is that public transportation is a necessity in cities: I would not be able to work for my mom or anywhere in New York City, for that matter, if not for public transportation. The second point is that public transportation, if made strategically and intelligently, is a better option than cars in big cities. Not long from now, cars are going to become impractical in large cities in the United States and consequently, public transportation will probably grow exponentially and model some of the premier public transportation systems across the world.

 A high speed train in Nanjing, China.

The main reason why cars are going to be completely impractical in the big cities is the rising price of gasoline. Cars already have been kind of impractical ever since the expansion of public transportation in the cities for a number of reasons including traffic congestion and the difficulty of finding parking in cities. However, cars can be useful in suburban communities simply because there usually is limited or no public transportation. There happened to be a bus system in the suburb where I lived. This bus system was linked to an intra-state public transportation system known as NJ Transit, or New Jersey Transit. Since a bus system isn't too plausible in bigger states, a light rail and high speed interstate rail should be implemented. Either way, public transportation in the form of buses or trains are a better way of getting around than cars.

 A NJ Transit Bus.

A rail system essentially accomplishes the same thing that a bus system does, except it uses less gas and is less expensive to run over long distances. Buses are an improvement to cars, but they also cause some of the same problems that cars do; they release harmful emissions to the atmosphere, they contribute to traffic, and they can cause motor vehicle accidents. Therefore, rail is the best form of public transportation. For example, it is less expensive and much faster for the consumer to take a high speed train to a certain city than to drive all the way there. A great example of a good heavy rail system in a city is the New York City Subway system. The subway is very accessible, not a fortune to use, and definitely faster than driving around and finding a parking spot in the city. Quite differently, Detroit, MI has a terrible light rail system that is almost completely useless. The 'people mover', as described in the "Beyond the Motor City" video, was a part of a huge plan for a public transportation system in Detroit that failed. Cities such as Detroit and Atlanta need to bolster their public transportation systems by expanding their rail systems.

 An entrance to the NYC subway system.

As Dr. Conrad said in her lecture and wrote about extensively in her book, "the future of Marta is grim". One big component of her argument was the fact that the state of Georgia does not fund Marta. I agree that the state of Georgia should contribute in order to help run and improve Marta. I am not suggesting that the state of Georgia pay for a completely new infrastructure: that is implausible. What I do believe would be best for Marta, however, is the expansion of the service into more parts of Atlanta and the improvement of its overall security and schedule. Marta's future isn't necessarily grim, as Dr. Conrad claims, if the proper steps are made to improve the rail systems and maybe add in a new light rail or streetcar system in addition to the heavy rail that's already there.

 A map of MARTA. Clearly, it doesn't quite enough areas of Atlanta.

This theme of not enough funding for public transportation is evident on a national scale. 80 percent of government money spent towards transportation goes to the building and maintaining of infrastructure for roads and highways, and only 20 percent goes to public transportation. (Transportation Nation) Over time, the funding will definitely be more evenly split because people will realize how much having cars has destroyed the environment, some cities, and the wallets of many a driver. Society will realize that having smooth and accessible public transportation is absolutely critical to the success of a city. It is definitely the best method of travel in large cities and will continue to be for a long time to come.

Works Cited

 

"Back of the Bus: Mass Transit, Race and Inequality." Prod. Andrea Bernstein and Nancy Solomon.
     American Radio Works. 18 February 2011. MP3 file. Transportation Nation.
     www.transportationnation.org. Web. 19 September 2011.

"Beyond the Motor City." Dir. Aaron Woolf. Blueprint America. PBS, 2010. Film. www.pbs.org/wnet
     /blueprintamerica. 8 February 2010. Web. 19 September 2011.

Commuter3. Image. http://www.wpunj.edu/commuter/images/commuter3.jpg. Web. 19 September 2011.
 

Conrad, Miriam. D.M. Smith Building, Room 105, Atlanta, GA. 16 September 2011. Lecture.
 

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     /l16S9QYA25E/s400/hybrid-car-hyper.jpg. Web. 19 September 2011.
 

Marta-map. Image. http://www.visitingdc.com/images/marta-map.jpg. Web. 19 September 2011.
 

Nanjinghighspeedtrain. Image. http://www.airrailnews.com/images/stories/nanjinghighspeedtrain.jpg. Web. 

     19 September 2011.
 

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     /nyc-traffic-jam.jpg. Web. 19 September 2011.

Nycsubway. Image. http://cdn.berryreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/nycsubway.jpg. Web. 19 

     September 2011.

Solution? Cars AND Public Transportation

Even though cars are loved in our modern society today, there are an assortment of problems that they cause. Personally, I love cars; they are a source of fun, convenience, and at times, pantomime. However, there are a bunch of issues with cars that make public transportation a more feasible and practical form of travel in large cities. A few of these issues include emissions, a huge proportion of city wealth spent on personal automobiles, and a general loss of public safety. (Schiller 7) The main reason we use public transportation in big cities today is because of its relatively cheap price compared to the price of owning and maintaining a car. That shouldn't be only reason, though. We should be using public transportation more often because it, in addition to being cheaper, eases the load on the environment, cuts down on traffic and congestion, and offers a safer way of getting around for passengers and commuters. The best way of addressing these issues without drastic change is to advocate and employ wider use of public transportation without prohibiting the use of cars.

The definition of pantomime: the Pagani Zonda Cinque.

Personal automobiles do have their advantages. For instance, in a medical emergency, a personal vehicle can be a very good means of transporting an injured individual to a hospital or medical center. Another reason why people should have their own vehicles is the fact that public transportation is not very tailored to an individual's needs. If a person needs to get somewhere quickly and efficiently, the best way is still transportation by car. This is because with cars, a person has total freedom of where they want to go and how to get there. With public transportation, all a person can do is take the bus or train to a designated stop and more times than not, walk the rest of the way. Additionally, cars keep this world interesting: society still loves cars. The T.V. show Top Gear is one of the most popular shows on this planet. It is estimated to have 350 million viewers per week from 170 different countries. (CBSNews) The topic and heart of the show? Cars, cars, and a little more cars. Clearly, cars are still an huge part of modern society and even though they do cause a variety of problems, we simply cannot get rid of them.

 Top Gear, my personal favorite show.

That being said, public transportation is definitely safer than having a huge number of cars on the road. In 2008 alone, there were 39,000 deaths in America due to motor vehicle accidents and collisions. (US Census) This is a very large number of people; the town where I'm from has a population of approximately 35,000 people. That is like losing every single member of my town to a motor vehicle accident and then a bunch more from another town. In order to lower that statistic, the obvious solution is to have fewer cars on the road. The number of deaths due to motor vehicle accidents would clearly go down, and there would be other benefits as mentioned above. Unfortunately, motor vehicle accidents aren't the only problems with cars. Another huge issue has to do with environmental damage due to harmful car emissions.

 A fatal motor vehicle collision.

There are several different environmental hazards that result from using cars such as acid rain, CO2 emissions, and buildup of greenhouse gasses. (Schiller 8) Most cars run on gasoline or diesel. Both of these fuel types cause emissions from the exhaust of cars. A single car's exhaust emission is almost nothing in terms of damage to the ozone layer and general global warming, but multiply by a few hundred million and the effects are more prominent. Additionally, the transportation industry produces an abundance of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides from factories and car emissions. They cause acid rain and lead to global warming, two dangerous phenomena that we try very hard to retard. In order to effectively diminish the amount of emissions and the amount of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide we are putting into the atmosphere, we must cut down on automobile usage. By cutting down the use of cars and increasing the use of public transportation, we can effectively solve these issue and still maintain order in society. In some cities, this has already started to occur.

The effects of acid rain.

Another big problem with cars is the amount of traffic they can cause. In a large city like New York City, it usually isn't a good idea to use a car instead of public transportation due to congestion and traffic. Traffic is a huge waste of time and it contributes to all of the environmental issues mentioned above simply because the cars are on the road for longer periods of time. An European architect from the 1920's named Le Corbusier realized this issue over 8 decades ago. He had several ideas to combat this clear and prominent issue. Jacobs writes, "He included great arterial roads for express one-way traffic. He cut the number of streets because 'cross-roads are an enemy to traffic.' He proposed underground streets for heavy vehicles and deliveries..." (Jacobs 23) Many of these ideas have already been implemented. The "great arterial roads" are more commonly known as highways and interstates, and many metropolitan areas don't have a great abundance of streets due to the traffic that would congest the streets. The underground roads are more widely known as subways: heavy vehicles that transport people around quickly and efficiently. Even with all of those implementations, traffic remains a huge problem today. One big step towards reducing traffic is the increased use of public transportation. That way, there will be fewer cars on the street and therefore, there would be less traffic.

New York City Traffic.

It is not plausible to completely prohibit cars from driving around in big cities. Nor is it plausible to have everyone take public transportation to get wherever they need to get. There has to be a compromise, a perfect in-between that keeps both ends satisfied. It is very simple to say, "Stop using cars and use more public transportation." The problem with that is the lack of accessibility. In order to make sustainable transportation a more feasible idea, transportation systems all over have to be improved and enhanced in order to give the passengers and commuters the increased accessibility that they so desperately need. That means spreading out public transportation and investing more money into it. The money seems like a lot in the short run, but in the long run, there are several essential benefits. First of all, the greenhouse gasses and emissions would be significantly reduced. Secondly, there would be less traffic on the streets. Thirdly, cities and towns would be much safer due to fewer drivers and motorists on the roads. In the end, people should still own cars. However, they should use them scarcely and use public transportation more often.

Works Cited

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Hanson, Susan. “The Context of Urban Travel.” The Geography of Urban

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Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House,

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Schiller, Preston, Eric C. Bruun, and Jeffrey R. Kenworthy. Introduction to Sustainable

      Transportation: Policy, Planning and Implementation. London: Earthscan, 2010. 

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US Census Bureau. Motor Vehicle Accidents - Number and Deaths: 1980 to 2008. http://www.census.go

      v/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1102.pdf. US Census Bureau. Web. 4 September 2011.