treehugger.com
Image courtesy of frozenchipmunk via flickr
The upshot of the record gas prices we're seeing has been the sometimes meteoric rise in the number of drivers switching over to public transit. And, as we learn today from a prominent piece in the NYT , it's become a national trend â" one that has especially picked up steam in many of the Southwest's car-happy metropolitan areas (hi Los Angeles). Indeed, as another recent piece in the LAT points out, usage statistics for the MTA have gone through the roof:
Found 5 days, 8 hours, 54 minutes, and 16 seconds ago
andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
10 May 2008 08:03 pm
With oil at $126 a barrel, Henry Blodget considers our options: Time to drill in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge? No. Time to cut us gas-subsidy checks? No. Time to work on a tax and consumption policy that encourages less oil usage and more investment in alternative, renewable energy. Well: duh. With public transportation booming , there is a silver lining in higher oil prices.
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Found 5 days, 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 12 seconds ago
stoweboyd.com
Pistachio Consulting Inc. » Meaningful Action in the Cyclone Aftermath
Found 4 days, 19 hours, 16 minutes, and 12 seconds ago
theoildrum.com
Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit
DENVER - With the price of gas approaching $4 a gallon, more commuters are abandoning their cars and taking the train or bus instead.
Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by. Parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing, with commuters in some towns risking a ticket or tow by parking on nearby grassy areas and in vacant lots.
"In almost every transit system I talk to, we're seeing very high rates of growth the last few months," said William W.
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes, and 24 seconds ago
freerepublic.com
New York Times ^ | May 10, 2008 | Clifford Kraus
Found 5 days, 22 hours, 16 minutes, and 31 seconds ago
nytimes.com
Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit
Found 5 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, and 21 seconds ago
vegan.com
Here's some wonderful news about $4/gallon gasoline: it's pushing mass transit ridership to historic levels. Funny how, when gas is no longer cheap, self-interest can go hand-in-hand with socially responsible behavior. Link .
Found 5 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, and 18 seconds ago
midnightcheese.com
With the NY Times reporting a surge in riders on mass transit systems , I decided to research the feasibility of riding the bus from La Vergne to work.
Driving distance using a car is 15 miles leaving at 8:10am taking roughly 25-30 minutes in the morning, 30-45 minutes in the afternoon. (Leaving around 5:30pm.)
The bus requires driving my car 3 miles to get to the nearest stop in the morning. Once on the bus, one transfer in downtown Nashville is required, adding on an extra 5 miles for a total of 20 miles one way.
Found 5 days, 21 hours, 7 minutes, and 4 seconds ago
econoclectic.powerblogs.com
Over the weekend, The NYTimes led with a story that as gasoline prices rise and are expected to remain high, many commuters are switching from driving to using public transportation.
Found 5 days, 15 hours, 57 minutes, and 45 seconds ago
alternativeconsumer.com
Ever ridden the crosstown bus? I suggest walking. Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit - nytimes
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dailyblatt.blogspot.com
( more )
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes, and 13 seconds ago
eyeopener.typepad.com
Ok, looks like I neglected one response to high gas prices, changing your mode of transportation without moving. And that too seems to be happening in the face of high gas prices: Some cities with long-established public transit systems, like New
York and Boston, have seen increases in ridership of 5 percent or more
so far this year. But the biggest surges - of 10 to 15 percent or more
over last year - are occurring in many metropolitan areas in the South
and West where the driving culture is strongest and bus and rail lines
are more limited.
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 20 minutes, and 54 seconds ago
joshingpolitics.blogspot.com
From The NY Times :
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 20 minutes, and 54 seconds ago
mindfulmission.com
Today is National Train Day , which is pretty cool, but makes little sense having a day to celebrate and encourage the use of public transportation on a Saturday.
But still... it is pretty cool. And we should be using public transportation more. Because it is actually fun. And easy. And convenient. And cheaper. And faster. And more efficient. And more environmentally friendly.
And on that note, it looks like public transit usage is up ! This is explained due to the high price of gas. Which, of course, would lead some to believe (i.
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes, and 6 seconds ago
konagod.blogspot.com
Last spring when I was taking the commuter bus into downtown Austin to work I would notice a spike in ridership whenever fuel prices were on the rise. As I'm starting back to work on Monday, I am looking forward to seeing the numbers now almost a year since I last rode the bus.
Found 5 days, 4 hours, 59 minutes, and 4 seconds ago
entangledstates.org
Saw this article in the NY Times this morning about how ridership is WAY up as a result of surging gas prices:
"Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by. Parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing, with commuters in some towns risking a ticket or tow by parking on nearby grassy areas and in vacant lots.
'In almost every transit system I talk to, we're seeing very high rates of growth the last few months,' said William W.
Found 4 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes, and 54 seconds ago
bleedingheartland.com
Marc Hansen's latest column goes over the hidden benefits of rising gas prices . For instance, people may reduce driving speeds on the highway to improve mileage, which will save gas and save lives. His piece also mentions that higher prices at the pump have increased the number of people using various forms of public transit in a lot of cities.
The New York Times published a similar article on Saturday: Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit . That piece gives examples of growing demand for public transit all over the country, not only in cities with historically strong systems such as New York and Boston, but also in Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, Houston, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte, NC.
Found 4 days, 20 hours, 21 minutes, and 30 seconds ago
freestudents.blogspot.com
has a piece on how spiralling petrol prices are sending some commuters to government mass transit programs. What it inadvertently does is also show us what is the problem with such mass transit programs.
Found 4 days, 14 hours, 15 minutes, and 20 seconds ago
slog.thestranger.com
Ride on : Commuters across the country flock to mass transit due to rising gas prices.
Vote on : Zimbabwe gets ready for second round of presidential elections.
Vote off : Oregon may be the Clinton campaign's final resting place .
Vote for : Obama kicks off serious voter registration drive .
Vote later : Burma insists on referendum vote despite widespread devastation .
Back in business : Controversial Blackwater back in Iraq .
Highway wars : Anti-immigration group really wants to adopt a stretch of highway near Border Patrol checkpoint.
Found 5 days, 10 hours, 49 minutes, and 18 seconds ago
elmada.com
Todayâs New York Times had a fascinating article about how major public transit systems in the States are seeing surges in ridership â"in some cases increases of over 15% since the same time last year. Cities, like my native Denver, that had the foresight to build out light rail, or invest in other forms of transit, are finding new riders.
Found 5 days, 9 hours, 47 minutes, and 33 seconds ago
dendroica.blogspot.com
Transit systems in metropolitan areas like Minneapolis, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Francisco reported similar jumps. In cities like Houston, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte, N.C., commuters in growing numbers are taking advantage of new bus and train lines built or expanded in the last few years. The American Public Transportation Association reports that localities with fewer than 100,000 people have also experienced large increases in bus ridership. Public transit still accounts for a very small portion of overall commuting trips.
Found 4 days, 14 hours, 50 minutes, and 19 seconds ago
matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com
10 May 2008 10:37 am
Via Atrios, we learn that people are price sensitive :
With the price of gas approaching $4 a gallon, more commuters are abandoning their cars and taking the train or bus instead.
Found 5 days, 11 hours, 58 minutes, and 36 seconds ago
lostontheshore.typepad.com
Transportation In a related development, the New York Times today reported that higher gas prices are driving record crowds to mass transit. Mass transit systems are struggling to cope and equipment shortages are becoming apparent as is apparent both in Baltimore and Washington. With a huge proportion of the state's transportation budget tied up in the InterCounty Connector, the state and local jurisdictions are going to have to look hard at their budgets to see where they can free up some funds to expand mass transit options.
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short-schrift.blogspot.com
"
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yankinlondon.blogspot.com
Finally, with gasoline prices continuing to rise, the American commuter is rediscovering public transit . Of course they are driving to the station but it's a start!
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 20 minutes, and 47 seconds ago
1womansvu.wordpress.com
The lead article in my morning newspaper was about how gas prices are causing riders to use mass transit. That's not much of a surprise; neither was the comment by one rider that he was willing "give up his independence" in order to save money. We sure do love our cars out here in the wilds of the U.
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 20 minutes, and 43 seconds ago
simondonner.blogspot.com
Is there a better time to redirect federal tax code to stress fuels, rather than income? The signals are all pointing in that direction. Cars are outselling trucks and SUVs for the first time in years. Goldman Sachs reported this week that oil could reach $150 to $200 a barrel. Public transit usage is on the rise . A carbon tax on transportation and heating fuels would only further nudge our economy towards higher energy efficiency and lower per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Most importantly, even if 100% revenue neutral the tax will allow the government the political room to direct revenues to programs to further invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy and new technologies.
Found 5 days, 7 hours, 20 minutes, and 42 seconds ago
carbontax.org
Why Pump Prices Need to Stay High: A Tax on Fossil Fuels Will Cut Greenhouse Gases - As Sweden Has Done Since 1991 ( Christian Science Monitor )
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