Need a Ride

 Once I started to practice law my reading for pleasure plummeted like a lead ball. But I knew that I could escape. Even during law school I made reading for pleasure a priority and it helped me enjoy the law school experience. I took time away from the serious studies and imperative learning, and reading kept me grounded and gave my mind the space to relax.

Many of the tasks I did for work I could do on the bus and because my office was right by the courthouse, I didn’t need to drive myself. What fortune to discover that  a route that stopped a mere ten houses from my home and dropped me off less than a block from my office. At first, I spent my commute accomplishing tasks that I used to do behind my desk. But, I soon noticed that many of my fellow travelers were reading for pleasure or personal fulfillment.

Soon, I followed the example of my peers. I used the time to eliminate the stack of books that I intended to read; someday. My love of reading returned and I experienced the joy of discovering places and ideas that I would otherwise never have known in my life. As time went on, I abandoned public transit for bicycle commuting, but I continued my love affair with books.

I felt disheartened today when I read that my public transit system, despite our population growth has fewer riders than it used to. I’m no expert on what caused this condition, but as a former regular user of transit I know of two factors that negatively affect my choice to use transit.

One problem is routing.

Years ago, when my transit system added a north south light rail option it modified the fundamental design of routes that used to take people from the suburbs directly into the center of town. They had the buses move people east and west to then board the light rail. But now the routing was no longer direct, activities like reading or business were interrupted, and the trip took longer each way. The geometry of the routes and light rail priority became more important than the people who needed a ride.

Another problem is transfers. When Stephen Hawking wrote A Brief History of Time he explained why his book contained only one equation: E=mc2. His publisher said that for every equation his readership would drop in half. The same principle may hold true for public transit: for every transfer potential ridership will drop by half. Give people a direct route and 500,000 people might use your system, add a transfer and it drops to 250,000. That number looks great, but with the round trip, the third transfer brings you to 125,000 and the fourth drops you to 62,500 potential riders.

My transit system may have other issues, but until it resolves these two fundamental problems, I’ll likely be a former rider on my bike, or in my car.