Why take public transportation?

Photo by JC Gellidon on Unsplash

Last weekend, I attended a climate action meeting in Culver City.  A meeting filled with people who are taking action to mitigate the impacts of climate change.  Whether that means advocacy or making necessary changes in their own lifestyle to reduce their own carbon footprint -- each has the overall same mission.  With that being said, how do each of us travel to and from the event?



The night before, I was looking at options.  I typed into Google Maps the address of the location.  Further, I had the option of choosing either to drive or take public transportation.  Here are the two options which I was given for a Saturday:



Option (1):  Driving My Car

Option (2): Public Transportation:

If you compare the difference in time spent on either method, driving a car would win - if expediency was your goal.  Whereas, if stress relief, relaxation, community engagement, and gratitude your goal, then taking public transportation would win.  Let me explain a little more.


When you drive in a car, there is a window along with the side wall of the vehicle between yourself and the outside world.  The barrier (car wall) is impermeable to community engagement and whatever is happening outside and inside another car.   On public transportation, that is not the case.  Each rider sits in a shared space and is exposed to other people's problems, concerns, worries, and celebrations.  Community engagement is high on public transportation.



A sense of gratitude is difficult to achieve when driving a car down a freeway or a street by yourself.  When a person rides public transportation, gratitude is expressed by each person in relief when arriving at a final destination.  The environment on public transportation is permeable to gratitude, simply because you are exposed to all types of people of society.  Except the privileged who do not take public transportation.  I feel more in tune with society after riding public transportation.



I do not necessarily feel stressed when riding public transportation.  I can choose to read, listen to a podcast, listen to music, or I can engage in a conversation with others on a bus or train.  The choice is greater when not having to rely on driving.  Taking public transit for me is less stressful.  I feel like I have to 'let go' and trust in the system to get me to my final destination.  Less worry.



Driving a car would be much quicker.  But what would I do with the extra time?  Probably arrive early and read at a coffee shop.  I can read on public transportation without stress.  I could sit at my house and read, then hurry and drive over.  Although, if at the later time, I try to drive and experience traffic, then I would be seriously mad.  Of course, riding public transit allows me to leave early enough and relax knowing that I am going to arrive at some point.



For me, I try to take public transit as much as possible.  What was surprising to me was that I arrived at the quarterly climate meeting.  I was directed to go to two different events in the city of Los Angeles following the meeting.  The only issue was that navigating public transit would prove difficult to get to both events later that day.  I found out that out of 30 people, 27 of them drove their cars to the event.  What?



The reality is that the longer people choose to drive and not demand more infrastructure spending (on public transit improvements), the longer we will be addicted to oil and our cars.  If we want the government along with local municipalities to spend on infrastructure, we have to lead to show where the demand is.  Regardless, we need to build out infrastructure now to make the system accessible to all riders.