Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Public Transit Ridership Rises To Highest Level in 52 Years

In light of everything else that's going on, this is a very positive and heartening article from the Washington Post, that reveals that public transit ridership is the highest that it's been since the late 1950s. As a non-driver who has long differed with the prevailing ideology that one must have a car, it's really inspiring to see that I am far from alone. I think that even in light of lower gas prices, more people are taking public transit because oftentimes it's shorter to get to where you want to go, and you can also read or do anything you have to. Also, and more importantly, the days of "happy motoring" and driving everywhere you want to go are coming to an end. As energy becomes rarer and more expensive, energy-efficient means of transportation such as subways and buses will be more essential to our society. The infrastructure of our mass transit needs lots of work though. As James Kunstler said, "our railroad system would embaress Bulgaria".

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