Transit ridership is up (duh)
'Cause seriously, who wants to pay four bucks a gallon for gas? Ridership on subways in major urban areas, including Southern California, South Florida, and Denver, Colorado. It's also up 11% in Philly, which is surprising, considering the city just raised its transit fees.
And it's not just trains that commuters are opting for: motor scooter sales jumped 24% in the beginning of 2008; Seattle reports a 17% increase in vanpool riders; and bike tip blogger Paul Dorn reported that traffic tripled on his two websites that offer cycling tips for commuters. (But commuters are still wary of bicycle use - this article reports that, though bike use is up 6% in Philly, for example, most people don't feel safe cycling to work). Four words: MORE BIKE LANES, PHILLY!
via [USA Today]
Am I the only one who doesn't necessarily see these high gas prices as a bad thing? Granted, I live in a big city and have always commuted to work by public transportation (I don't own a car), but many people could do the same thing and simply choose not to. In fact, I often hear stories of my bus-rider friends getting to work more quickly than my car-driving friends, who often get caught up in traffic jams.
So, just to go over this again: higher gas prices equal less dependence on foreign oil and carbon-emitting vehicles, and force people to seek out more earth-friendly transport options.
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