Public transportation vs. driving: LiveSimplicity discussion forum

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I have lived in both cities with excellent public transportation systems and those where a car is needed to travel even short distances. I've found each approach has it's advantages, but I often wonder whether driving even with its inherent freedom is more stressful than using public transporation.

View A

Using public transporation reduced the stress associated with automobile traffic and parking, minimizes dangerous accidents, and allows for a certain level of daily exercise as a result of walking more.

View B

Driving an automobile allows for ultimate freedom of movement not available with some public transportation systems, minimizing the amount of time wasted waiting on the metro or bus, and allows one to carry more groceries, people, etc, thereby reducing the number of trips needed.

5 comment(s) so far

jasnmb thinks: I've tried both and I prefer public transporation. You don't have to worry about someone else causing you to get into an accident and a nice walk every now and then is healthy. Plus, the cost of using public tranportation, particularly if you live within city boundaries can be much cheaper than a car when you consider car payments, paring fees, insurance, and maintenance.

annbanan24 thinks: Public transportation is obviously the better choice when many people live within a small geographic area. The environmental benefits far outweigh the concerns about convenience. We've got to be more willing to give up certain personal perks such as freedom of movement if we're going to protect the environment. A failure to do so will result in the loss of many more freedoms in the long run.

abum96 thinks: Public transortation should be encouraged by goverments. If there is a strong public tranport systme running through a city, there is no reason to have an automobile and both the financial and environmental cost associated with it. Imagine a city strictly comprised of walking streets. Traffic could become a thing of the past.

clo thinks: Public transportation needs to be widely established. It makes no sense for every person on earth to own an automobile. Besides environmental concerns, dwindling space will soon become an issue. Would you rather have a nice sized comfortable home or allocate that space for storage of your automobile.

JBonnin thinks: I am glad to see that view A is unanimity. Impossible to ignore that it will be the only reasonable urban choice.