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<p>[quote user="DwightBranch"]</p> <p> </p> <blockquote> <div><img src="/TRCCS/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> <strong>Sam1:</strong></div> <div> <p> </p> <p>Approximately 4.8% of the people in the DFW metroplex use public transit.</p> <p>Let's see if this will paste:</p> </div> </blockquote> <table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" class="sidebarTBLtable"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="sidebarTBLheadline">Top 10 commuter cities</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="sidebarTBLsubhead">Where the most residents commute to work on buses, trains and light rail.</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="cnnTMcontent"> <table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tbody> <tr class="sidebarTBLheader"> <th align="left" class="cc11">City</th> <th align="left" class="cc11">State</th> <th align="right" class="cc11">Public transit users</th> <th align="right" class="cc11">% of workers</th> </tr> <tr class="cnnIERowAltBG"> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL3651000.html">New York</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">NY</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">1.87 million</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">54.6%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL1150000.html">Washington</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">DC</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">94,260</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">37.7%</td> </tr> <tr class="cnnIERowAltBG"> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL0667000.html">San Francisco</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">CA</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">124,738</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">32.7%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL2507000.html">Boston</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">MA</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">80,141</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">31.7%</td> </tr> <tr class="cnnIERowAltBG"> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL4260000.html">Philadelphia</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">PA</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">139,247</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">25.9%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL1714000.html">Chicago</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">IL</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">293,703</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">25.3%</td> </tr> <tr class="cnnIERowAltBG"> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/13/real_estate/public_transit_commutes/">Baltimore</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">MD</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">48,252</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">18.9%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL5363000.html">Seattle</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">WA</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">51,259</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">17.0%</td> </tr> <tr class="cnnIERowAltBG"> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL0653000.html">Oakland</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">CA</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">27,114</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">16,5%</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" class="cc10"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL4159000.html">Portland</a></td> <td align="left" class="cc10">OR</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">34,195</td> <td align="right" class="cc10">13.3%</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div class="sidebarTBLnote">Source:U.S. Census Bureau</div> <p> About 1.9 million, or 55 percent, of New York workers commuted by subway or bus in 2005, according to the U.S. Census </p> <p>What is the difference? Those cities with the highest ridership of public transportation (i.e. the top five on this list) have extensive public infrastructure in passenger rail transportation  <i>that has existed since long before anyone now alive was born</i>. It becomes second nature that if you want to travel from home to work cheaply (i.e. without an investment  on a $30k vehicle, the gas, insurance to use it, money for parking etc) the train is the best way. Those cities with systems that are just starting out are growing their ridership. In Denver the bus system was atrocious, a trip that in a car would take half an hour round trip took three hours unless you were staying on the same bus for the entire trip. Experiences like that leave a sour taste. Now, from what I know about the Dallas rail passenger system is that it is a relatively recent (80s for commuter as I recall, on an old Rock Island line with antique slow to accelerate RDCs initially, not a modern light rail system with new, very fast accelerating cars) and certainly is not as extensive (very little in economy of scale) nor as easy to use as those in New York and Chicago. As people get used to the fact that it is faster and less expensive when you count the cost of operating a car (if you include all the costs, not just gas) , and when they no longer have the $40,000 Z45 4WD pickup that they need to pay for and want roads to use it on you will see attitudes change. [/quote]</p> <p>Neat!  I also lived in New York City for 8 years, and I am aware of the fact that people who live in that part of the the U.S. are more inclined to use public transport.  In large part this stems from a history of doing so. </p> <p>Your list is for cities.  DFW is a SMSA.  DART and the "T" serve Dallas and Fort Worth as well as many of the other 29 cities in DFW metroplex.  The percentage of people in Dallas who use public transport is higher than the percentage for the metroplex as a whole.  But all it most people in Dallas, as well as throughout the metroplex, commute by car. </p> <p>Texas is not New York or Portland or San Francisco or any other place. What do you really know about Texas and DFW?  When did you live in DFW and thereby gain some insight into our culture?  What involvement have you had with public transport in DFW?  What transit boards did you serve on?   </p> <p>For someone outside of Texas to speak about our culture, especially someone who has never lived here, is akin to my opining about the culture in Florida.  I never lived in Florida.  I don't have a clue, and I would not dare offer an opinion about it. </p> <p>I have ridden the TRE hundreds of times.  It is not slow to accelerate, dropped the RDCs within a year of start-up, and is a state of the art commuter rail system.  Having said that, most people in the DFW metroplex drive.  </p> <p>I make no claims about public transit or the attitudes toward it outside of DFW.  My observations about public transit in north central Texas and central Texas stem from 36 years of personal involvement and a reasonable amount of data to support it.  All I know at this point is that most Texans, when asked in surveys, have said that they want better highways.  Very few of them have even mentioned passenger rail and transit.  Whether that will change depends on numerous variables, i.e. price of gasoline, new highways, alternative fuel vehicles, highway technologies, etc.</p>
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