Public Transit
I used to think that some day I'd grow up and get a car. In the last few years, I've been taking notice of everyone who I know who is older than me and doesn't have a car. There's an Arcadia University Professor who has made a commitment to only ride transit. There's the choir director who used to direct a group I was in, but is now working with one of the best known churches and largest choirs in the area. There's my co-worker, an accountant, who is a neighbor of mine. And then there are lots of people who have more than one adult in a household, but use only one car. Those are good too, but not quite the same. I think that at this point, it is unlikely that I will ever be in a 1 adult = 1 car situation where I am the adult.
There are many reasons why I ride public transit, but one big one is that it's a good environmental decision. I talked to a person from the Clean Air Council when I was at an event I was covering for the paper. Here are some quotes from one of their handouts:
"If one in ten Americans used public transportation regularly, U.S. reliance on foreign oil could be cut by more than 40%."
"Public transit produces 95% less carbon monoxide per passenger mile than private vehicles."
"A big bus with just seven passengers is more fuel-efficient than the average car. A full bus? Six times more efficient. A full train, 15 times more efficient."
And, NPR recently had a repeat piece (as in, they had a similar one several years ago) about comparing long distance travel by plane, car, and train. They started by saying how bad planes were in terms of emissions, but then said that even so, cars are worse, so if those are the only two options you will consider, you should still fly. However, trains are SO much better than either driving or flying, that those are really the way to go. Yay trains! My favorite way to travel by far. I'm about to go by train from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh to Chicago, then from St. Louis, MO to Longview, TX, then from Houston to New Orleans, then from New Orleans to Philadelphia. Five long distance trains! I'm so excited!
There are many reasons why I ride public transit, but one big one is that it's a good environmental decision. I talked to a person from the Clean Air Council when I was at an event I was covering for the paper. Here are some quotes from one of their handouts:
"If one in ten Americans used public transportation regularly, U.S. reliance on foreign oil could be cut by more than 40%."
"Public transit produces 95% less carbon monoxide per passenger mile than private vehicles."
"A big bus with just seven passengers is more fuel-efficient than the average car. A full bus? Six times more efficient. A full train, 15 times more efficient."
And, NPR recently had a repeat piece (as in, they had a similar one several years ago) about comparing long distance travel by plane, car, and train. They started by saying how bad planes were in terms of emissions, but then said that even so, cars are worse, so if those are the only two options you will consider, you should still fly. However, trains are SO much better than either driving or flying, that those are really the way to go. Yay trains! My favorite way to travel by far. I'm about to go by train from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh to Chicago, then from St. Louis, MO to Longview, TX, then from Houston to New Orleans, then from New Orleans to Philadelphia. Five long distance trains! I'm so excited!