Heavy Rail vs. Light Rail

[Tuckerman]

One pet peeve of mine: school buses. When living in Germany, in a mid-sized city, I was astonished to see that school kids of all grades either walked to school or, in the case of higher grades, took public transit (buses, streetcars, etc) to and from school. Their ticket fees were paid by the state. There was no separate bus system for schools. The result: at an early age, and across the economic spectrum of families, these youngsters learned to use public transit on a regular basis. In addition they were integrated into the general transit using community. In my view, this early experience led to children growing up believing that public transit was for all people and a perfectly normal thing to use in getting around. In addition, there were no extra buses clogging the streets and impeding the regular flow of traffic.
School budgets and costs were dedicated to educational needs. Also the children were on well-maintained vehicles driven by experienced individuals.

[bryantm3]

They do that in Japan too. I don't think we have the sense of communal responsibility they have there- having kids on public transit seems unsafe in the US.

[cparker73]

Originally Posted by Tuckerman

One pet peeve of mine: school buses. When living in Germany, in a mid-sized city, I was astonished to see that school kids of all grades either walked to school or, in the case of higher grades, took public transit (buses, streetcars, etc) to and from school. Their ticket fees were paid by the state. There was no separate bus system for schools. The result: at an early age, and across the economic spectrum of families, these youngsters learned to use public transit on a regular basis. In addition they were integrated into the general transit using community. In my view, this early experience led to children growing up believing that public transit was for all people and a perfectly normal thing to use in getting around. In addition, there were no extra buses clogging the streets and impeding the regular flow of traffic.
School budgets and costs were dedicated to educational needs. Also the children were on well-maintained vehicles driven by experienced individuals.

Is the built environment as suburban as the way most of our cities are built? I know kids in cities like New York and Chicago able to use public transportation because how integrated schools are in the urban fabric. Your typical school in the suburbs is this huge factory-like building set far back from the road, and the kids live in subdivisions full of cul-de-sacs, which make it difficult to create bus routes.

Interestingly, the only kids in Atlanta I know who have an organized use of Marta are students K-12 commuting from Buckhead and northern burbs to the private school, Woodward Academy, in College Park. The school has its own bus fleet, but some students ride the train together. There's a shuttle from the College Park station that then picks up the kids to take them to campus.

[Tuckerman]

Originally Posted by cparker73

Is the built environment as suburban as the way most of our cities are built? I know kids in cities like New York and Chicago able to use public transportation because how integrated schools are in the urban fabric. Your typical school in the suburbs is this huge factory-like building set far back from the road, and the kids live in subdivisions full of cul-de-sacs, which make it difficult to create bus routes.

Interestingly, the only kids in Atlanta I know who have an organized use of Marta are students K-12 commuting from Buckhead and northern burbs to the private school, Woodward Academy, in College Park. The school has its own bus fleet, but some students ride the train together. There's a shuttle from the College Park station that then picks up the kids to take them to campus.

Of course I agree. Our suburban areas are too spread out for efficient transit service and those kids have the same disadvantages that their parents have in using public transit. We have to live with the clutter and congestion of cars picking up kids at public schools as well. I live about 300 yards from an elementary school and the combined mass of school buses and parents' cars is mind boggling.

[austlar1]

Sprawl and inadequate public transit infrastructure make it difficult for most US school kids to use public transit to go to school. School age kids are frequently seen riding rail and buses in densely packed cities in the NE corridor. Not so much in most of the rest of the country.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

They do that in Japan too. I don't think we have the sense of communal responsibility they have there- having kids on public transit seems unsafe in the US.

They do it to some extent in the NYC area too. So, it's also done in some areas in the US.

Edit: Jinx! You all beat me to the punch.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Username123

North Springs Station and Sandy Springs station were opened in 2000.

Yes, I remember Sandy Springs. I took a rail to Sandy Springs and I walk to his apartment. I remember I just landed in ATL and I took MARTA to Sandy Springs. I knows ATL very well.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeanuts

Light rail in Seattle was fast from airport to downtown

Here in Phoenix, too. We have light rail there. Connecting to PHX SkyTrain 44th St station to Terminal 4 and Terminal 3.

Next year, they will open 24th St station and then Rent Car Center station. They will extending from T3 station to 24th St station and then Rent Car Center station.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by N830MH

Here in Phoenix, too. We have light rail there. Connecting to PHX SkyTrain 44th St station to Terminal 4 and Terminal 3.

I took light rail from PHX to downtown and it was pretty good. It is a bit slow as you get closer to downtown, but overall an easy and good experience. Seattle was good once you get on the train, but the walk from the airport to the rail station is surprisingly long - you basically have to walk all the way across the airport's massive parking deck. I think I'm spoiled by Atlanta where MARTA is right in the terminal and provides a high speed ride into town. I can't really think of any other city in the US where it's this convenient. Usually you have to connect with some kind of air tram or separate train. Denver is pretty easy but takes a while because the airport is so far out.