What would it ACTUALLY take for you to consider biking or taking the bus, in lieu of motoring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places I ride bikes is a separate bike path. Otherwise I think it’s too dangerous.

Same. I'm just not that great of a biker. I would feel really unsafe on the streets. Even out in the suburbs I rarely ride my bike because they're not allowed on sidewalks. I just use trails. And biking with my kids? Hell no I wouldn't ride in the street with them.

I don't know where you bike, but in Montgomery County it's legal everywhere to ride on the sidewalk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The only places I ride bikes is a separate bike path. Otherwise I think it’s too dangerous.

This is how it is in Germany. They have red painted bike lanes next to the sidewalk, above the curb. Then you don't have to deal with cars riding next to you.

If I could ride on a sidewalk or bike trail, I would bike more. On the roadway with aggressive drivers is too dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Not in DC, but I live in a city and drive sometimes and take the bus sometimes.

Things that make me take the bus:
-bus picks up close to my house and drops off close to work
-I don't have to drive
-my bus line is on a free pilot this year (love it!)


Things that make me drive
-the big one is that some days I need to make multiple stops, such as picking up my kid, and in that case the bus just doesn't work because it would add 3 hours to my commute
-sometimes the bus gets really off schedule. It's supposed to come every 10 minutes. If I have a day when I end up waiting 20+ minutes, I"m more likely to drive the next day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With buses and public transportation generally, you are going to get a lot of people explaining that they don't want to be in close proximity to poor people. I mean, they'll say "safety" or something, but this is what they mean.

Also, some people just don't want to be in proximity to people generally, I've found. I am a longtime bus rider and have had many coworkers and neighbors tell me they couldn't do it because it means being near too many people. They don't want to make eye contact with other people, be close enough to smell them (even if they smell objectively good I guess, though as a longtime bus rider I can assure you most people do not smell objectively good, especially in the summer), and -- god forbid -- speak with them.

This is a major cultural obstacle to widespread adoption of public transportation in the US, I think. People have become very accustomed to personal space, being on their own personal timeline, not having to perform the basic niceties of being in public. Covid has made it worse. I don't know how to change it. I have always kind of liked being around other people, but I've learned I"m an outlier here.

This is a crock of S and isn't backed up by data. People in the US use public transportation in places where that public transportation is safe, efficient, and easy to access. DC's current system is none of those things for us.

[Anonymous]

Everyone has summed up the very reasonable objections. No way any of these can be fixed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With buses and public transportation generally, you are going to get a lot of people explaining that they don't want to be in close proximity to poor people. I mean, they'll say "safety" or something, but this is what they mean.

Also, some people just don't want to be in proximity to people generally, I've found. I am a longtime bus rider and have had many coworkers and neighbors tell me they couldn't do it because it means being near too many people. They don't want to make eye contact with other people, be close enough to smell them (even if they smell objectively good I guess, though as a longtime bus rider I can assure you most people do not smell objectively good, especially in the summer), and -- god forbid -- speak with them.

This is a major cultural obstacle to widespread adoption of public transportation in the US, I think. People have become very accustomed to personal space, being on their own personal timeline, not having to perform the basic niceties of being in public. Covid has made it worse. I don't know how to change it. I have always kind of liked being around other people, but I've learned I"m an outlier here.

Nah, I used public transportation daily when living overseas and was surrounded by poor people. It was fine. However, here on public transport I'm in frequent contact with the mentally ill, homeless, and drug addicts. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Even with traffic, it takes me 40 minutes to get to work. It would take me 1 hour and 40 minutes using public transportation. Trains and busses are filthy. Stains on seats and grimy windows. Trash on the floor. I don’t have to pay for parking at work so it is cheaper to drive. I can drink my coffee and have a snack. Car is more comfortable when weather is bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even with traffic, it takes me 40 minutes to get to work. It would take me 1 hour and 40 minutes using public transportation. Trains and busses are filthy. Stains on seats and grimy windows. Trash on the floor. I don’t have to pay for parking at work so it is cheaper to drive. I can drink my coffee and have a snack. Car is more comfortable when weather is bad.

The biggest factor in the decision about driving vs. using a different transportation method.

[Anonymous]

Even with traffic, it takes me 40 minutes to get to work. It would take me 1 hour and 40 minutes using public transportation. Trains and busses are filthy. Stains on seats and grimy windows. Trash on the floor. I don’t have to pay for parking at work so it is cheaper to drive. I can drink my coffee and have a snack. Car is more comfortable when weather is bad.

What if headways were more frequent and travel times were as fast (or faster) than driving? What if it were cleaner? What if the incentives that your employer provided for driving (free parking) were extended to offset a portion of your commuting cost?

[Anonymous]

I used to take public transportation daily, when there was a bus route that went were I was going and took only slightly longer than driving (even though it was not always reliably on time).

Now my commute has changed and there isn't a cross town route that doesn't require multiple transfers and take twice the time. I don't have the extra time to add an hour to my commute and don't have the energy to deal with all of the delays and issues that seem to happen even more regularly with metro these days.

I'm not against bike lanes, but it seems that the city should really be focusing more on fixing and improving the mass transit/metro system so that its more convenient, dependable, and safe. I hate driving and would love to be able to hop on the bus or metro to get where I'm going instead, but it doesn't make sense to do it (even though I live within walking distance of a metro station).

[Anonymous]

I switched to metro for my downtown commute once I realized it was payment optional. I’ve saved $6700 the last three years.

[Anonymous]

I would need: Temperate climate year round. Electric bike for all the hills (Im in fine shape but don't feel like exerting myself on long, extended rides every time I need something, electric bikes for my children who need to accompany me, enough storage for all their sports equipment, and dedicated, barriered lanes to feel comfortable enough to do it, or let them do it by themselves, and a safe, easy place to park them all everywhere I go. So in otherwords, absolutely nothing could get me to ride a bike more at this point in my life.

[Anonymous]

Remote work for me is key. I need only be on-site 1 day / week. I can stand my hour-long bus + Metro (with a change of lines) one day a week, but any more than that, and I would have to drive the 6 or so miles to my office.

[Anonymous]

In addition to the many safety concerns, bike maintenance really sucks. I know car maintenance is no picnic, but I've had multiple instances of getting quite far from home and getting a flat on my bike. It SUCKs getting home/getting the bike home. Keeping air in the tires. Greasing the chain. All of it. I hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remote work for me is key. I need only be on-site 1 day / week. I can stand my hour-long bus + Metro (with a change of lines) one day a week, but any more than that, and I would have to drive the 6 or so miles to my office.

That is depressing, because 6 miles would be like half an hour on a bike. With an e-bike, you wouldn't even get sweaty. But most people won't bike unless there's a safe, comfortable, and easy-to-find route, which mostly there isn't.