Mass Transit

[Jack]

@susnfx

I recently moved into a new condo which is about 35 blocks straight south of where I work. There’s a bus line that goes from in front of my house to about 1/2 block from my office. I want to ride the bus, but I can’t and here’s why:

Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has raised bus fares twice in the last year and are going to raise them again in the near future to $2.75 ($5.50 per day for me then or about $110 a month). Even at $4 a gallon, this is more than I pay for gas–way more.

In January the results of an audit of UTA were released with findings that really dismayed me. I won’t put in quotes but basically ridership on a bus has to be 21 people per route in order to better the emissions which would be puffed out by those 21 people driving their cars. Average bus ridership in Salt Lake City is 8.1 per route. Thus bus emissions are much worse than the cars those riders would be driving.
(Okay, one quote from the audit: “The 461 tons of NOx pollution created by diesel buses exceed the 164 tons of NOx its passengers would have created if they had commuted in a passenger car. As a result, the added pollution created by buses outweigh the gains made by light rail and vanpool. The data suggests that if more riders used transit, including buses, it would result in better outcomes for air quality. However, at current ridership levels, transit is a net polluter.”)

Bus service is terrible, with few routes (and being cut all the time) and those only on major streets.

I’ll stick to my car.

Rant over. What does a bus ride cost where you live?

Susan

It’s a dollar in Lexington, Kentucky, but they make no profit. The government funds it through our tax monies, as I understand it.

[Jayhawk]

Missy - good luck finding a 150cc scooter for under $1,500 new, but I’ve seen used ones in that range.. The new Honda Metropolitan at 49cc is $1,800 or so new around here. If you’ve not driven a 49cc scooter recently, they’re much better than they used to be. According to unnamed (not me, really, I’m not that much of a mechanic) sources, an unregulated 49cc scooter these days, especially if a 2 stroke engine, performs on par with a 150cc cycle from the 70s.

Me, I’m too lazy for 2 stroke engines (and hate mixing oil and gas), so I’m looking for a 4 stroke 49cc. Plus, most states don’t regulate 49cc scooters so no license plate, registration, or inspections are necessary which saves bucks. All we need in MO is a valid car driver’s license - not even a cycle license.

Eric

[I.D.10-t]

If you were even lazier, you could get an electric scooter and not pump gas at all.

[susnfx]

@J-dub

It was fun, and at $5 it was a lot cheaper than me driving to Ogden alone, and faster since Friday trafiic on I-15 at 5:30pm is typically really bad. The train station in Ogden is only about 4 blocks from the session venue which is nice. A lot of folks have expressed interest in taking the train next month, who knows maybe we will entertain the pasengers with a few tunes next time

When is that session, John? Many people? Nice variety of instruments? I would definitely be interested in going.
(Are you still in Sugarhouse? I’m on 9th East at about 3900 South)

Susan

[Jayhawk]

@I.D.10-t

If you were even lazier, you could get an electric scooter and not pump gas at all.

If it went faster and could do so carrying my 9 year old son with me, I’d consider it, but a nice 2 seat scooter with foot pegs seems safer.

Eric

[I.D.10-t]

@Jayhawk

@I.D.10-t

If you were even lazier, you could get an electric scooter and not pump gas at all.

If it went faster and could do so carrying my 9 year old son with me, I’d consider it, but a nice 2 seat scooter with foot pegs seems safer.

Eric

The E-Cruiser 220 listed on that page hits 42Mph and looks like it seats 2, I think. How fast do gas scooters go?

[missy]

@Jayhawk

Me, I’m too lazy for 2 stroke engines (and hate mixing oil and gas), so I’m looking for a 4 stroke 49cc. Plus, most states don’t regulate 49cc scooters so no license plate, registration, or inspections are necessary which saves bucks. All we need in MO is a valid car driver’s license - not even a cycle license.

Eric

At one time, we owned a 2 stroke ancient Suzuki 275, a chain saw, a gas powered weed whip, and a 2 stroke lawn mower. They all used different ratios, and they all sounded like chain saws (we call the Suzuki, which my son now drives, the “wing,dingy,dingy”) I do NOT want to smell like oil all day!

All scooters fall under motorcycle regs in Ohio - have to get a motorcycle operators permit, and they have to be licensed and insured. No inspections (yet).

[Jayhawk]

Ooh, I didn’t scroll down far enough (those later models look nice) - just looked at the first bike like thing. Still, the cost is higher than I want to pay and I’m not completely confident in the technology yet. I met a guy with one of the bike looking ones last year at a store, and he said the speed was as advertised but the distance you could go was roughly half what was advertised. Plus, I’m less than impressed with the longevity and motor speed of my parents battery operated mower (even with a second battery added) - so I’m leary of claims that such pure electric vehicles have yet caught up with the performance of their gas brethern.

So I guess I’ll stick with gas (regulated, a 49cc scooter goes 30-35 mph and retains about the same speed on most hills) for now but I’d consider electric if I knew more about their reliability and if the battery allows for decent travel lengths. About their only downside is the requirement that you must remember to charge them or you’re stuck without spending several hours waiting to gain enough charge to go anywhere.

Eric

[Jayhawk]

Missy - that’s too bad about even the smaller scooters being regulated. Part of what makes them attractive here in MO is that you can park them at bike racks legally and without license requirements and all, they’re cheaper than a motorcycle.

Eric

[fel_bautista]

@Flyingcursor

I agree with ChasR. I’ve seen an increase in bicycles but so many people have no concept on how to ride on the road.

Being a bicyclist myself it really ticks me off because it gives all of us a bad name.

I saw two ladies take a left turn in front of oncoming traffic at a light a few days ago. Idiots.

Our club inforces the stop at stop signs/lights; regardless if it means you miss bridging to the next group;yeah, its painful to watch people do stupid things on bikes since PHYSICS ALWAYS WINS.

[Denny]

[brianormond]

Seattle Metro bus fares:

$1.50 off-peak one or two zone
$1.75 peak-hour one-zone (City or County zones)
$2.25 peak-hour two zone (City & County zones)

-$.25 off-peak reduced fare/senior fare
-$.50 peak reduced fare/senior fare
-$.50 youth fare

-Another small fare increase will apply soon to some fares.
-Another factor enhancing value of Seattle bus service is a relative paucity of parking space and availability in the downtown area. Its expensive and adds to already substantial costs of personal vehicle use. Many use outlying Park & Ride lots and ride a bus into town.

-B.

[djm]

I saw an item on the news the other night where they say skyrocketing parking costs here are having a much greater effect on drivers than the cost of gasoline in pushing commuters to use public transit.

djm

[mutepointe]

@djm

And look at all the things that riding the bus can give you that you’d never get driving your own vehicle like dirt and crap left all over the seat by someone’s children, drunks and retards drooling on your shoulder, threats from gangbanger wannabes too poor to have their own ride (yet), and everybody’s favourite - “Oops! Did I miss your stop? No, sorry, you’ll have to get off at the next one.”

djm

I drive my car for work and it’s regularly dirty and messy with fast food, pop cans, canoe equipment, and whistles and harmonicas. Some of my favorites rides have been with children, drunks, and people with disabilities, and youth with challenging behaviors. One of the few types of riders that I don’t enjoy is folks who call people “retards who drool.” Usually, those rides come to a quick and unexpected stop. Maybe that’s why bus drivers miss your stop. They’re people too.

[I.D.10-t]

@djm

I saw an item on the news the other night where they say skyrocketing parking costs here are having a much greater effect on drivers than the cost of gasoline in pushing commuters to use public transit.

It has been that way at the university for some time. Bus fair is roughly the same as parking and they keep reducing the amount of parking spaces.The new gopher’s stadium just wiped out more parking spots and so the early birds are the only ones that can find parking.

The number of mopeds has doubled if not tripled this year compared to in past years (they park next to the bike racks) but they are still outnumbered greatly by the bikers. For many people the mopeds allow on demand door to door transportation (parking lots are across campus) for a daily cost less than buses or cars.

[djm]

@mutepointe

One of the few types of riders that I don’t enjoy is folks who call people “retards who drool.”

Have some of ours. We got lots.

You should try living in my end of town. I have been trying to reduce my driving, and have cut it down to a quarter of what I was doing even a year ago. I also added an antitheft device. I came out this morning and someone had smashed a huge divet in the driver’s side door, taking off most of the paint. I guess they didn’t like seeing the flashing light of the antitheft device.

djm

[mutepointe]

You’re right. Even one person who calls folks names is too much.

My next door neighbor was always giving the children in our neighborhood a hard time. During the middle of the day, the children were always playing, having fun, and making noise in the field across the street from our houses. This is when he was trying to take a nap. So he’d yell at them, call up their parents, and tell them how to be respectful to adults. Then he’d get his house egged for Halloween. A person reaps what they sow.

[djm]

@mutepoint

A person reaps what they sow.

The attempted theft of a vehicle from a person’s home at night is not the act of children. And I do not give the kids in my neighbourhood a hard time. It is very presumptuous of you to suggest as much. Oh, but I interrupted your self-righteous tub thumping. Please forgive me.

djm

[mutepointe]

I never meant to imply that you specialized in being rude to children. I’m pretty certain you treat all folks equally.

[Ronbo]

@djm

@mutepoint

A person reaps what they sow.

The attempted theft of a vehicle from a person’s home at night is not the act of children. And I do not give the kids in my neighbourhood a hard time. It is very presumptuous of you to suggest as much. Oh, but I interrupted your self-righteous tub thumping. Please forgive me.

djm

He’s practicing to play the bodhran, fer cryin out loud.