{"id":518,"date":"2008-06-30T17:21:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-01T00:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingvancouver.ca\/?p=518"},"modified":"2013-01-21T07:24:47","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T15:24:47","slug":"a-guide-to-the-inconveniences-of-public-transit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2008\/06\/30\/a-guide-to-the-inconveniences-of-public-transit\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to the Inconveniences of Public Transit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WaitingPhoto courtesy of YosemiteDonn<\/a><\/p>\n

Public transit is invariably less convenient than a private automobile. While its frequency, reliability, and usability can be improved, for those used to driving, travelling by bus or train will always have certain inconveniences associated with\u00a0them. <\/a><\/p>\n

Because of these inconveniences, most people use automobiles as their main mode of transportation. Sometimes it seems that only higher fuel prices will make them release their death grip on their steering wheels. These inconveniences have to be acknowledged,\u00a0since there will never be door-to-door public transit service, no matter how much people push supposed options like PRT (Personal Rapid Transit). I agree with James Howard Kunstler, who states about PRT<\/a> “If we’re going to replace the car why do it with something that’s not only like the car, but not really as good as the car?”<\/p>\n

For the 88% of people in the Lower Mainland<\/a> who don\u2019t regularly take public transit, here is TransitFan\u2019s slightly sarcastic guide for first-time riders on how to deal with commuting by transit.<\/p>\n

Planning ahead<\/strong> \u2013 The train or bus will not be available at the precise time that you need it, so you\u2019ll need to either pick up a schedule or look it up on TransLink\u2019s website<\/a>. Buses are frequent during commute times and if you are close to downtown Vancouver. The farther out you from the centre you get, the more you\u2019ll need to plan ahead. Things will be improving in the South of Fraser region over the next 20 years, but changes will be incremental (See TransLink’s South of Fraser plans<\/a>). SkyTrain is frequent enough that you won\u2019t normally need to look at schedules, but do check for when transit service begins and ends.<\/p>\n

Walking<\/strong> – Sorry, there\u2019s no private train car in your garage waiting to whisk you away to your office at the touch of a button. You will need to\u00a0walk to either a bus stop or a train station. On the upside, walking is healthy, and if you do it enough you can probably stop driving to your local gym for that workout. Heck, you may even start to like it.<\/p>\n

Exposure to the elements<\/strong> \u2013 Rain, sun, wind, and even the occasional snowfall. You know, those things that you view through your window as you cruise around in air-conditioned comfort. You will now be experiencing them firsthand. Don\u2019t worry, a warm coat and an umbrella will get you through most situations. Check the \u2018weather forecast\u2019 before heading out so that you can choose the appropriate footwear.<\/p>\n

Patience<\/strong> \u2013 Although trains and buses are supposed to follow schedules, these should only be taken as guidelines, especially during busy commuting times. It\u2019s better to arrive five minutes early than to hope that the bus will meet you at the exact time listed on the schedule. Build in a bit of extra time into your commute so that delays won\u2019t make you late for work. If you arrive early, you can either go grab a coffee or just get into work before everyone else and impress the socks off your boss.<\/p>\n

Interacting with other people<\/strong> \u2013 Most transit riders keep to themselves. iPods are a very popular way of shutting out the world if this is what you want to do. If you can get a seat, books and newspapers are good way to spend long commutes. There will very occasionally be people who will, out of the blue, start a conversation with you. These people will usually be drunk and\/or slightly crazy. It is your choice to interact with them, but ignoring them is often the best tactic if you still have some distance to travel.<\/p>\n

Discomfort<\/strong> \u2013 There\u2019s no gentle way to put this. Transit vehicles\u00a0can be crowded. You may have to stand sometimes. On rainy days the buses will smell damp. On hot days you will find out just how many people don’t wear deodorant. You\u2019ll often find yourself in physical contact with strangers. If you\u2019re in the aisle seat you\u2019ll have to get up if the window seat passenger wants to leave. There may be annoying people next to you talking on their cellphones. And sorry, no cupholders.<\/p>\n

That’s about it. Once you get into a regular commuting routine, many of these so-called inconveniences become non-issues. The rest are just part of the ride.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

John Calimente is the president of Rail Integrated Developments. He supports great mass transit, cycling, walking, transit integrated developments, and non-automobile urban life. <\/em>Click here to follow TheTransitFan on Twitter.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo courtesy of YosemiteDonn Public transit is invariably less convenient than a private automobile. While its frequency, reliability, and usability can be improved, for those used to driving, travelling by bus or train will always have certain inconveniences associated with\u00a0them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6010,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11232],"tags":[5,240,263],"class_list":["post-518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","tag-the-transit-fan","tag-transit-2","tag-wait"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Guide to the Inconveniences of Public Transit - Spacing Vancouver<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2008\/06\/30\/a-guide-to-the-inconveniences-of-public-transit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Guide to the Inconveniences of Public Transit - Spacing Vancouver\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photo courtesy of YosemiteDonn Public transit is invariably less convenient than a private automobile. 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