Public Transit - “It’s just another barrier to self-sufficiency”

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Public Transit - “It’s just another barrier to self-sufficiency”

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Started 9 months ago by MRipley
Latest reply from lifeontwowheels

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MRipley

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Walker said:
Cherry picking a quote out of the middle of an article and sticking it in the headline would lead most people to believe you were attempting to take it out of context.

Sounds like that wasn't your intention though. So carry on then. ;)

Just thought that was a pretty important quote in the article. As I said change it to something less pointed if you want.

Amazing though how some transit proponents will either jump all over a topic title or suggest that the topic be ignored (TomOver) when it doesn't agree with their viewpoint.

Posted 9 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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I'm not jumping on anything. Just sharing an opinion.

Relax... it's Friday. ;)

Posted 9 months ago #
geoyui
West Side
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MRipley said:

Amazing though how some transit proponents will either jump all over a topic title or suggest that the topic be ignored (TomOver) when it doesn't agree with their viewpoint.

I thought lifeontwowheels, polis, cheap and even parts of tomover had some good points about the problems with assisting low income families in purchasing cars and altneratives that could work better. There was no jumping or ignoring on their part.

Posted 9 months ago #
cheap
Westgate
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i abhor mass transit.

i've hated buses since i was a little kid

i remember the seats stunk like roadkill.

Posted 9 months ago #
TomOver
lovecause.org
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MRipley said:
Just thought that was a pretty important quote in the article. As I said change it to something less pointed if you want.

Amazing though how some transit proponents will either jump all over a topic title or suggest that the topic be ignored (TomOver) when it doesn't agree with their viewpoint.

Made that suggestion, assuming folk generally don't unquestioningly do as I say. IMHO, given peak oil, climate change, and air pollution, the stakes are so high that the risks of further debate about the pros and cons of public transit outweigh the risk of focusing on making it happen.

Would rather see folk here engaging in the question of how we will go about creating more public transit, instead of continuing to ask the question of why or whether we should do it.

To what extent does anyone else here think or feel this way ?

Posted 9 months ago #
Graybeak
Hunky Town
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Would rather see folk here engaging in the question of how we will go about creating more public transit, instead of continuing to ask the question of why or whether we should do it.

This seems akin to the oversimplified statement "I want to discuss how we will spend $500 million instead of asking why or whether we should spend $500 million."

Posted 9 months ago #
jbcmh81

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MRipley said:
There was no attempt to make a blanket statement (if it makes you feel better though, feel free to change the topic title to soemthing that you're more comfortable with)

I see your point and wouldn't disagree about a single guy with a nice job and suit, but the article had nothing to do with that person. It was about poor people with multiple jobs, school, kids, etc.

Just because you can't imagine how it's done, I'm sure that people with kids, school and a job or two use mass transit in larger cities where there are more alternatives available. Just from a practical standpoint, driving a car some places is extremely expensive and not feasible. As has been pointed out, Columbus is no Manhattan, but that doesn't mean that families are incapable of using public transit and being self-sufficient. They can be and are, regardless of whether or not they are in Columbus. This is not an argument for or against cars, really. They will always be part of a city's transportation scene, but I really don't get the argument that public transit can't work for most people. If it's done correctly, it absolutely can.

Posted 9 months ago #
MRipley

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TomOver said:
Is it somehow not doable to have kids on buses and trains?

You of course don't get the gist of the article. It's not whether it's "possible" to take kids on public transportation, it's stating that low income people lose self- sufficiency when they're tied to the constraints of public transist, which effects their capability to gain/hold jobs as well as schooling.

If you would rather see folks here engaging in the question of how we will go about creating more public transit, instead of continuing to ask the question of why or whether we should do it please ignore this topic and start your own.

Posted 9 months ago #
MRipley

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jbcmh81 said:
Just because you can't imagine how it's done, I'm sure that people with kids, school and a job or two use mass transit in larger cities where there are more alternatives available.

Has nothing to do with whether or not I can imagine how it's done, or whether or not you're "sure" that they can in larger cities.

From the article:

A 2011 study by the Brookings Institution found that 7 percent of central Ohio households had no car and that nearly 80 percent of those households were classified as low-income. Another study released this month by the Washington, D.C.-based policy-research group found that, though 70 percent of jobs in the Columbus area are accessible by public transit, 73 percent of people would need to ride the bus for at least 90 minutes to get to them.

Christopher Jones, the Impact Community Action’s financial literacy manager, said that fact makes it more difficult for people who work two jobs to make ends meet, work and go to school, take children to day care or take care of their families. Relying solely on public transit makes it harder to work overtime, take shifts that begin or end when service is infrequent, or transfer to better opportunities in new locations.

Posted 9 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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MRipley said:
Relying solely on public transit makes it harder to work overtime, take shifts that begin or end when service is infrequent, or transfer to better opportunities in new locations.

Sounds like a strong case for improving public transit frequency, services and reliability.

Posted 9 months ago #
MRipley

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Walker said:
Sounds like a strong case for improving public transit frequency, services and reliability.

Might be. Maybe flex-time modes of transportation that operate at will from any point to any destination?

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Few things :

Schooling is becoming far more accessible with the move towards and conversation around online education. Couple that with cheap technology (sub $100 ereaders) and we can minimize the need for frequent travel to access education.

Also, cost of ownership for a vehicle ranges from $6,000-12,000 (I'm being overly broad). If you can take a single job close to home accessible by a wide range of transportation options at what point does a job further away or multiple jobs make sense? At some point there will be no significant financial gain and the extra work is simply paying for the means to access it.

Posted 9 months ago #
GCrites80s
5xNW
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Why work at all if it costs you more to get there and for child care than you make?

Posted 9 months ago #
MRipley

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lifeontwowheels said:
Few things :

Schooling is becoming far more accessible with the move towards and conversation around online education. Couple that with cheap technology (sub $100 ereaders) and we can minimize the need for frequent travel to access education.

Also, cost of ownership for a vehicle ranges from $6,000-12,000 (I'm being overly broad). If you can take a single job close to home accessible by a wide range of transportation options at what point does a job further away or multiple jobs make sense? At some point there will be no significant financial gain and the extra work is simply paying for the means to access it.

Good point regarding online education. Based on that, if more people can utlize it and minimize the need to travel then there would obviously be less need for public transportation and it would be a poor public investment.

With regard to jobs and how close they are to home, or whether it pays enough to only need one job, I suppose it would be different for every individual and their circumstances. If getting a job that permitted a break even on car ownership (vs non-car ownership) I bet most would choose the higher paying job and car ownership. They then wouldn't be constrained to public transit limitiations.

Posted 9 months ago #
cheap
Westgate
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GCrites80s said:
Why work at all if it costs you more to get there and for child care than you make?

Title XX daycare is available for working families through ODJFS.

a lady runs one on Sullivant,and she has a badass new Lexus SUV,too.

business is good when you get paid by the state of Ohio.

Posted 9 months ago #
Graybeak
Hunky Town
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cheap said:
Title XX daycare is available for working families through ODJFS.

a lady runs one on Sullivant,and she has a badass new Lexus SUV,too.

business is good when you get paid by the state of Ohio.

Someone should charge less for a service, just because they are being paid by the State Government instead of individuals?
BS!
Edit: Large corporations that negotiate contracts with the state for purchasing are different than "Small Business Owners", though they also have the chance to get in on the contract action.

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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MRipley said: Good point regarding online education. Based on that, if more people can utlize it and minimize the need to travel then there would obviously be less need for public transportation and it would be a poor public investment. With regard to jobs and how close they are to home, or whether it pays enough to only need one job, I suppose it would be different for every individual and their circumstances. If getting a job that permitted a break even on car ownership (vs non-car ownership) I bet most would choose the higher paying job and car ownership. They then wouldn't be constrained to public transit limitiations.

Constrained only by your definition. No one form of transportation is equally good for all individuals which is why investment in multi-modal infrastructure is important to the economic health and vibrancy of our community.

Posted 9 months ago #
GCrites80s
5xNW
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cheap said:
Title XX daycare is available for working families through ODJFS.

a lady runs one on Sullivant,and she has a badass new Lexus SUV,too.

business is good when you get paid by the state of Ohio.

Maybe she's married to someone wealthy. Maybe she owns another business. Maybe she inherited some money. You don't know.

Posted 9 months ago #
columbusmike

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I'd personally rather see this organization bring a program like ride share/zip car to Columbus, and give gift cards to those who need assistance getting to work, but I applaud them for doing what they're doing.

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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columbusmike said:
I'd personally rather see this organization bring a program like ride share/zip car to Columbus, and give gift cards to those who need assistance getting to work, but I applaud them for doing what they're doing.

I don't know if car share (as much as I love and support bringing it here) is the answer here. Better for infrequent, short trips. Otherwise the financials start to play a role and ownership becomes cheaper. I think in the short term this program is the best solution for some but presenting it in such a way the is overly critical of transit ignores the bigger picture.

Posted 9 months ago #