Public Transportation

This is going to come as a shock to many of my Conservative friends, but I really love public transportation. Now before you call 911 and ask that they send those "very nice men in their nice white coats," with a straight jacket to haul  me to St. E's...Wait, Saint E's is really not working anymore. It's going to be the new home of the Department Of Homeland Security. OK, so much for that anecdote.

I'm basically an urban type of person. I love the convenience of the city. Part of that convenience is the reliance on public transportation. I would love to see Metro and all the bus service here in Prince George's County, Maryland, run 24/7 in 15 minute increments. On Fridays and Saturdays, Metro runs Metro Rail until 3 AM, but the last bus on Friday to get me home from the College Park station, is at 10:20 PM, and the last bus on Saturday, when Metro Rail runs until 3 AM, is at 9:19 PM, and on Sunday at 5:41 PM. Not only that, the 83 bus runs every half hour, and the 86 bus, which brings me closest to my house, runs once per hour. So much for encouraging people to use public transportation. Yes, I can park at a Metro station for free on weekends, but I still have to drive there. Because I'm only driving about 2.5 miles from  my home to the College Park Metro station, my car doesn't get a chance to warm up completely. Therefore, it burns a lot of fuel in that 2.5 miles. If I drive to the Metro on weekdays, it costs me $5.10 per day to park, in addition to the Metro fare.

I was informed by a Metrobus driver, that it is not Metro that determines where the bus stops are, nor service times and frequency. It is the county and city councils that determine service. What is wrong with the Prince George's County Council? I have an interesting theory on this. It has to do with the gasoline tax. As cars become more fuel efficient, there is less tax revenue. As more people take public transportation, there is less tax revenue. As people switch to electric vehicles, there is less gasoline tax revenue. A large percentage of the citizens in Prince George's County are tradesmen who drive big vehicles for work, and many of them drive pickup trucks as part of the redneck culture. They are gas hogs. SOMEONE has to pay the gasoline tax, if you catch my drift. It is a discriminatory tax directed at the White working class. I'm sure the elitist Prius drivers approve. I just don't want to hear them complain when the plumber charges $200 to walk in the door, and another $200 to fix the toilet. Sometimes payback time is sweet.

Metro

I am a big fan of public transportation. Unlike a lot of liberals, I am willing to make some time sacrifices to ride the buses and rail systems, and I am a conservative. What it really boils down to too, is I really don't like driving in the DC area. I would rather have it take a little longer to get there by public transportation.

I recently joined a Metro community group called Amplify By Metro. I received a survey from the new General Manager yesterday, and I took the time to fill it out. There are some definite improvements needed in the Metro Rail, and Metro Bus systems.

My biggest beefs are the price of parking at the Metro stations, and the fact that here in Prince George's County, there is very limited feeder bus service after 10 PM, and even less on weekends. Forcing people to drive to the Metro stations, and then pay $5.10 per day to park there, is no way to encourage people to use public transportation. Metro Rail is expensive enough during rush hour. When you add the price of parking, it is more cost effective for many people living in the suburbs to drive and pay to park in the city, rather than use public transportation.

I am hoping that as College Park, where I live, redevelops, with the addition of many high rise apartments and condos along the Route One corridor, that the bus service servicing the College Park Metro station will improve. If you live in the city, public transportation is effective. Montgomery County also has late night bus service feeding the Metro Rail System. Prince George's County does not. I would hope that this would change soon.