Who Has The Best Mass Transit System In The US?

[Parche]

I think DC has the best followed by PDX!!!
:hi:

[LeftyMom]

1. Either DC or the Bay Area.

Portland's is okay, but suffers a severe infestation of fixie riding hipster douches.

[XemaSab]

8. When's the last time someone got capped on the Metro?

:shrug:

[KamaAina]

26. I don't know about capped, but a 13-year-old girl was arrested for eating French fries

That's right, arrested. :eyes:

[BeachBaby]

2. I know that the NJ Transit system got a good rating last year.

There was a news story about it this past fall. :)

[Parche]

4. but who lives in NJ?

:rofl: :hi: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[BeachBaby]

5. The cool people, silly!

:rofl: :hi: :hug:

[madinmaryland]

40. NJ Transit sucked! The Path was ok.

[dawgmom]

3. DC is good, but it should be expanded farther out

In general, though, the best thing about the DC system is that it's clean and safe. Somebody who works for Metro told me once that the advantage they have in those areas is that it closes down every night -- not open 24 hours like New York. As a result, they can clean everything up, and they don't have people living/sleeping in the system. Not so great for the homeless, I agree -- but it does make for a cleaner and sweeter-smelling system. My overwhelming memory of the New York system is the smell of vomit and urine.

[TZ]

7. Well I think we shall see in the next week....

how well maintained and run this system is..I plan on going to the Inaugural but I KNOW its going to be miserable getting in/going home....

[dawgmom]

9. We're staying in town the night before to avoid it

Seriously, if there's any place you can crash in town the night before, I would advise it. I think that Metro is going to be a nightmare, no matter how well prepared they think they are. I even know a few people who are planning on camping out and having sleepovers in their offices, as dawg knows, you can't get a hotel room to save your life.

[TZ]

12. I hoping to crash at my Uncle's place on Capitol Hill

He was thinking about renting his place out but he promised me a bed if he doesn't

[Parche]

13. who? Senator Shell Be?

:woohoo: :hi: :hug:

[TZ]

16. Well he used to have a Senator for a neighbor....

Not anyone we'd want to meet though (Trent Lott).
He lives in a great neighborhood.

[dawgmom]

17. I think that's a smart thing to do

And delay your departure after it's all over for as long as you can.

We're going to a ball (which I'm not looking forward to -- it's a business/professional obligation), so no worries on that end either. I'll be wearing stupid shoes for the first time in a long time, so I'm sure we'll be back at our friend's place early, with my feet up, my dress on the hanger, watching the highlights on TV.

[KamaAina]

25. Not so great for people who work the night shift, either

or are out partying until all hours (in fact, Metro does stay open until 3 on Fri. and Sat. nights).

[Shakespeare]

6. I've used transit in DC, NYC, SF and LA. I'll go with DC, hands down.

And LA's doesn't get the props it should--ours is quite good, especially for a city so spread out (and we even have a decent subway, too!).

[MrScorpio]

34. My two faves are DC and NYC

[Mike 03]

10. It sure ain't Phoenix or Los Angeles. My vote would be the San Francisco

Bay Area, thanks in large part to BART. In spite of last week's horrors (with the BART police), I have to say that BART is truly amazing. It was amazing twenty years ago, when I was a kid, and it was amazing a few years ago when I had to visit S.F. for a weekend.

[musette_sf]

11. i vote NYC

because 24 hour service is what mass transit everywhere should offer. riding BART (recent events aside) can be frustrating when certain routes stop running earlier than others, and evenings are just impossible. i've had to leave some events early, just to run for the last BART train of the night. 24/7 should be the model.

[KamaAina]

14. Astonishingly, twice in the past fifteen years, APTA has said... we do.

that's the American Public Transit Ass'n.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheBus#America.27s_Best_Transit_System

Founded and developed by Mayor Frank Fasi in the 1960s, TheBus has been the only mass transit system to be recognized twice by the American Public Transportation Association as America's Best Transit System for 1994–1995 and 2000-2001, beating other transit systems.

If that's the case, I really pity you poor folks on the mainland. My daily trek of perhaps three miles to and from the cubicle can take up to 50 minutes each way (door to door). And that's not even accounting for having to watch buses roll by 'cause they're jammed with public school students (no school buses here) or college kids (Hawaii Pacific U., one of Sarah Palin's many alma maters, provides no shuttles between its downtown campus and its student housing, which is all in Waikiki). :eyes:

[Critters2]

15. I've only dealt with two--Boston and Chicago. Of the two, Boston is WAAAAY better than Chicago.

I used to live in a community whose transit system--buses--was named "the best small city transit system in the US". Champaign-Urbana, IL.

[rug]

18. NYC. You can get anywhere, anytime (except Springfied Gardens).

[mnhtnbb]

28. Not to LaGuardia or JFK, though.

[rug]

33. Sure, easy bus transfer. It's still mass transit.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. The Magic Kingdom.

Seriously, if you stay in park it's free and fast, by air, land or water. :hi:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

20. You are crazy

and that's what we like about you. :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. Crazy like a fox!

;)

How are you Gilligan?

[Gormy Cuss]

21. NYC metro, hands down.

There are at least a half dozen other really great ones too.

[MorningGlow]

22. Boston

Usually on time, good T/bus/commuter train combos, subways usually smell better than NYC's. Haven't been to DC, though.

[NYC_SKP]

23. NYC, don't fuck around, get on the goddam train. Next stop (inaudible)!

:rofl:

With BART you'd think that time grew on trees.

Doors languish in the open state as if you're at a fucking retirement village.

[musette_sf]

27. and the robot lady droning

"the doors are closing

please stand clear of the closing doors

(bing-bong)"

i'm for the NYC method. get on, get off, keep moving.

"attention passengers!: (unintelligible)"

[NYC_SKP]

30. Even the space between the "bing" and the "bong" is unbearably long!

:rofl:

I could go get a slice or have a beer in that much time.

[CreekDog]

29. Philadelphia

I think Philadelphia's system does the best at providing the most comprehensive service and linking them to each other. It's really easy to get to the airport, to get to Amtrak and to get to and from suburban systems to western suburbs and New Jersey.

When I ride out here in the Bay Area, we just don't hold a candle to what's provided out there. We have similar components to our mass transit system, but it's just not as comprehensive, the linkages don't work as well or aren't as well placed, we also don't blanket our areas the way Philadelphia does with it's numerous regional rail lines.

Comparing DC to SF Bay Area, what's interesting is that the design of the Metro and BART is basically the same. Same basic system. When you ride the two, the size of the cars, the age of the system, the fare tickets --all the same pretty much. Metro is better though. Also, unlike BART, Metro links to Amtrak within DC. BART links to Amtrak in Richmond (miles away from SF) and to our regional rail in Millbrae (also miles away from SF).

[TZ]

31. suck up...

:P

you've been to DC? :scared:

[CreekDog]

32. ahem

:spank:

which part of the Kennedy quip about DC do you exemplify?

1) the efficiency of a Southern City?

2) the charm of a Northern one?

:evilgrin: :P ;)

[TZ]

35. I'm very efficient..

and got that northeast "charm" in full measure..I got the best of both worlds baybee!
:rofl:

[CreekDog]

36. Northeast Charm

i got nothing. :shrug:

[TZ]

38. aw you know what I mean

Northeasters think the one fingered salute is synonymous for hello..:evilgrin:

[CreekDog]

39. Now, I didn't say I didn't *understand*

just speechless at the concept. :hide:

[Roon]

37. Denver and Salt Lake city have been exchaning first place for mass transit

for years. This year RTD is number one (denver) SLC has an awesome light rail network I understand. Denver has light rail too but what makes their system nice is you can get anywhere from anywhere here. I travel to Boulder once a week to see Jason and it only costs me $2.25 for the 30 mile ride.

[surrealAmerican]

41. NYC. You can get almost anywhere by train.

I say this as a Chicagoan; I wish our system was that good.

[MadMaddie]

42. I can tell you who doesn't!! Seattle....

Absolutely ridiculous!!

[kwassa]

43. The DC area mass transit needs to extend out much further.

And the freeway system need more alternatives to the one and only Beltway, like another wider circle freeway around the city. More bridges across the Potomac. It is really inadequate.

Plans are finally to build light rail out to Dulles, which should have happened long ago.