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

[Anonymous]

I used to take the bus for my commute.

For the bus: punctuality, cleanliness, convenient bus stop locations, and duration. I wouldn’t ride the bus if I need to walk 1/2 an hour on each end for a bus stop for a bus that ends up running 15 minutes late.

For biking: non-negotiable is safety! (Additional nice to have is a bike rack to park, lockers / showers if commuting).

As a biker, I do not want to share the road with cars. I want to be separated from them, and not by a white line drawn on the road, where any small error or misjudgment on my or on a driver’s part can end pretty badly for me as a biker.

I now commute with my bike, only because almost all my commute is on a separate bike path (the small part where there is no separate bike path, I use the sidewalk).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I've broken down in a car, and I've broken down on a bike (flat tire). I'd rather break down on a bike; the repairs are cheaper, and I can't get my broken-down car home on the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As we all know, the use of personal vehicles has a significant impact on the environment and presents safety issues to others in the public space, such as pedestrians and bicyclists. For everyone's benefit, it's going to become increasingly important to explore alternative modes of transportation as we get deeper into the 21st century.

To that end, DC and many other big cities are beginning to implement more pedestrian-friendly street and intersection designs, in addition to dedicated spaces for other modes of transportation such bikes and buses over the exclusive use of personal vehicles. I'm familiar with the pushback that a small but vocal minority has made in framing this as a 'war on cars', as they feel their entitlement to exclusive use of the right-of-way is being threatened.

What I find interesting in all of this is that many of these skeptics look at the installation of bus-only lanes or protected bike lanes and NEVER seriously consider personally switching to those other modes now that they are faster, safer, or more convenient. Instead, many seem to express antagonism or cynicism reflexively, possibly because they 'identify' as motorists and would never stoop so low as to take the bus or bike?

Ok, perhaps I'm projecting a bit. But for many of these skeptical folks evidently these measures are not far enough to overcome the legacy car culture this country has, or the perceived convenience or benefits of driving. So I am curious to know what it would realistically take for DC motorists to consider walking, riding a bike or taking the bus to get to work, run errands, etc.

For instance:
What if work or shops were closer to homes?
What if bus stops were located on your residential corner and came every 5-7 minutes dependably?
What if the roads were redesigned so that the bike lanes were universal and protected, or adjacent to sidewalks (not in the roadway)?
What if stores provided free and secured bike parking/valeting?
What if buses were free, and the purchase of e-bikes/cargo bikes was heavily subsidized?

I'm interested in hearing the DCUM community's thoughts and ideas on the matter.

Nope. Taking my car. Stems from getting an emergency call from school, had to rush my child to an ortho for a fractured and dislocated bone. Will not be biking or taking public transportation. And by the time all the kids are out of the house, I will be too old to bike (in the heat, in the cold, in the rain/sleet/snow), and will continue to not be interested

[Anonymous]

Mask mandate; flat fare for buses and metro; more frequent buses, more commuter buses and sheltered bus stops (very few in MoCo).

I would bike if we had a connected network of protected bike lanes. Not the current "system" of disconnected one-offs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What a ridiculous comment. I have no problem being near poor people (how would I even know they're poor)? It's the mentally ill and criminals that I'd prefer to not be around because I'd like to return home to my family at the end of the workday.

Oh, please. Whenever anyone mentions the bus on DCUM the immediate reaction is "ew, the poors!"

[Anonymous]

Safe, lighted bike paths
Express busses that go longer drives without stopping.
Loudoun/PWC need busses that dont stop 1000 times before going into DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What a ridiculous comment. I have no problem being near poor people (how would I even know they're poor)? It's the mentally ill and criminals that I'd prefer to not be around because I'd like to return home to my family at the end of the workday.

Because they're on the bus...

[Anonymous]

It would take for there to be no cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mask mandate; flat fare for buses and metro; more frequent buses, more commuter buses and sheltered bus stops (very few in MoCo).

I would bike if we had a connected network of protected bike lanes. Not the current "system" of disconnected one-offs.

No way on the masks. If I'm required to wear one, it's back to my car.

[Anonymous]

I took the bus daily between age 22 and 27 when I finally got a car. Chicago area. The bus was filthy, smelled of urine and full of homeless people and undesirables. I saw people shooting up, was harassed and had my breast squeezed and accused of being racist when I protested. So i will never take the bus again until this is addressed.
I ride my bike for errands in good weather when my children are at school. I am lucky to live in an area where most things are close by. The weather is the only obstacle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What a ridiculous comment. I have no problem being near poor people (how would I even know they're poor)? It's the mentally ill and criminals that I'd prefer to not be around because I'd like to return home to my family at the end of the workday.

Because they're on the bus...

I love your circular logic!

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but public transit has never been as close to as convenient as the car for me, whether it was living in Alexandria, Fairfax, Georgetown, or Baltimore. I don't have the time to waste to double or triple my travel time to use public transit, ignoring all the problems associated with it that I can deal with but would prefer not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What a ridiculous comment. I have no problem being near poor people (how would I even know they're poor)? It's the mentally ill and criminals that I'd prefer to not be around because I'd like to return home to my family at the end of the workday.

Because they're on the bus...

I love your circular logic!

That's basically the logic, though. The bus is for poor people; only poor people take the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but public transit has never been as close to as convenient as the car for me, whether it was living in Alexandria, Fairfax, Georgetown, or Baltimore. I don't have the time to waste to double or triple my travel time to use public transit, ignoring all the problems associated with it that I can deal with but would prefer not.

What happens when you can't find a parking space or you have to pay to park?

[Anonymous]

It would take for there to be no cars.

I can't tell if this person loves cars and would only bus if cars didn't exist, or is suggesting they wouldn't bike unless there were no cars around.