alt Hacker NewsWhile I respect the public transit system, it has many disadvantages over private cars. The NYC subway, for instance, is amazing in many ways, but if you're just slightly old or infirm, you can't navigate it. DC's subway, built at a yuge price, does have elevators but they are often broken. And if you're traveling at non-rush hours, you'll have to wait 5-20 minutes and then pause your trip for every stop along the way.
I can see how a young, fit and childless 20 something would be much happier with a good public transport system, but once you stop fitting that narrow model, your affection for urban dreams dies slowly.
And don't get me started on the price for construction and maintenance.
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As the announcement reminds us, NYC’s system has “over 150 accessible subway stations.” While there’s certainly room for improvement, I wouldn’t underrate the rest of the MTA system: the busses are all accessible and cover the same geography.
More to the point, there’s a parallel system that came out of the same lawsuit that found the subway system illegally inaccessible to people with mobility needs. Those people can use MTA-funded “Access-a-ride” service, which offers private, scheduled door-to-door transportation for the price of a subway ride. It’s a really expensive way to do it, but a remarkable lifeline for the people I know who, for example, need occasional transportation to and from medical appointments.
You should watch more NotJustBikes videos.
This is why you build transit for everyone. If you look at transit around the world (Japan, Singapore) you'll see transit that the old or infirm happily take. It's possible, you just need to believe that transit CAN be good for everyone! It doesn't and shouldn't be just for the "young and healthy".