If the geotagging on this post worked, you can see that I started writing this post somewhere between SkyTrain stations 29th Avenue and Nanaimo in Vancouver. I take the SkyTrain every day to and from work, and it’s great.
Sure, I bitch about it every now and then, particularly when it gets delayed, but all in all I really like SkyTrain. Never mind the financial advantages of public transit over driving, never mind the environmental benefits of public transit over driving, I like it because it’s stress-free!
Compared to driving, that is. A few nights ago we were driving from Langley to New Westminster, which means crossing the Fraser River at some point. I had two options: Highway 1 over the Port Mann or King George Highway over the Patullo Bridge. They’re replacing the Port Mann and reconfiguring the freeway, so construction delays are inevitable. King George Highway has a lot of traffic lights and the Patullo always seems to have a lane closed for unknown reasons. We picked the Port Mann.
Mistake.
Traffic was horrible! Backed up for miles from the bridge (to 176th, to put it into context for locals), we hit maybe 40km/h. And it’s like this every day. How do people put up with it? How do people stay sane?
Contrast that with my daily commute: I walk down to the bus stop (leisurely and exercise), catch a bus (get to sit down while the bus zooms around), drop Elizabeth off at daycare, catch another bus (get to catch up on Twitter and Facebook), transfer to SkyTrain, walk to work (more exercise). It takes about an hour and forty minutes to get from home to work. Yes, it takes a while, but I get to sit down and relax on the bus and SkyTrain. While on the bus with Elizabeth I get to interact with her face-to-face. I get to read news on the way in. I get to post things to Twitter. I get to draft posts for my blog. I get a nice walk in at either end, and I can stop for coffee if I want to.
I don’t have to worry about other drivers. I don’t get stuck in stop-and-go traffic. I don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot. I don’t have to worry about paying for a parking spot.
Given my options, why would I want to drive?
Oh yeah, here’s a funky map of the geolocation of this post. Fun.
Posted from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
#1 by Chris on 19 August 2010 - 2:52 pm
I still drive the 10 miles between my house and the train station. I looked up the bus routes, and it looks like I could take a single bus to a different train station. This would add maybe 50 minutes to my one-way commute, which is about an hour in the morning and 90 minutes in the afternoon. Not sure I want to do that yet.
#2 by Brad on 19 August 2010 - 2:57 pm
Adding 50 minutes to go 10 miles sounds a little crazy. There are times when driving makes sense (like for you getting to the train station) but going the whole way, especially if you’re going somewhere that’s well-serviced by transit, doesn’t.
#3 by Chris on 19 August 2010 - 4:53 pm
Yeah, the bus system in San Diego is ridiculously screwed up.