I haven't filled a tank of gas since I rented a car in Quebec three months ago, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that gas prices have been plummeting (and no, not for a good reason). In a span of a few months, we've gone from $4 or even $5 dollar gas to under $2 dollars. So with lower costs, people are naturally driving more and taking that dusty old Hummer out for a spin, right?
Wrong:
Americans rode subways, buses and commuter railroads in record numbers in the third quarter of this year, even as gas prices dropped and unemployment rose. The 6.5 percent jump in transit ridership over the same period last year marks the largest quarterly increase in public transportation ridership in 25 years, according to a survey to be released today by the American Public Transportation Association.So what's going on here? Are people's love affair with the automobile being broken by a new heartthrob that runs on rails? The data is only over three quarters, but the numbers are encouraging. Perhaps more Americans would rather relax on a train (not the 6 train of course) than sit and silently rage in their cars as the highway commute gets longer and longer. Or maybe we're all getting a little more environmentally conscious.
Whatever the reason, the less we use our cars, the better off we'll be. And of course, having an Administration that cares about mass transit in a few short weeks will help provide the leadership we need to make sure this new phenomenon becomes a national fixture.
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