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Poll: which city has the best public transportation system?

Which city has the best public transportation system?

  • Boston

    Votes: 2 7.4%

  • Chicago

    Votes: 3 11.1%

  • Washington DC

    Votes: 6 22.2%

  • New York

    Votes: 11 40.7%

  • San Francisco

    Votes: 2 7.4%

  • Portland

    Votes: 3 11.1%
  • Total voters
    27
  • Poll closed .
I'm kinda partial to London/Great Britains system, but it's only because I know how to get around.

I found Boston's rail system to be fairly nice. DART is clearly an up and comer, but time will tell. New facilities always impact judgements of efficiency.
 
NYC -
Modes -
Subways & Trains;
Bus;
Ferry

Infrastructure -
Tunnels - underground & underwater;
Bridges;
Elevated tracks;
street and highway network

Possible Negative - too many seperated management authories.
 
I prefer DC because of its cleanliness. It is very efficient, as is NYC's, but DC's buses and subway's are much cleaner and smell MUCH better.
 
New York City without a doubt.* No other city in the world (except one line in Chicago and Philly) has the four-track express system for rapid transit.

Only the rapid transit system in DC is worthy of a vote. The bus system is in bad shape and lacks any reserved lanes and the commuter rail system is very small and fragmented.

I think you should have included Philly and Montreal. Montreal has a great rail (rapid transit and commuter rail)system and an extensive network of reserved bus lanes and transfer stations. Customer information is exceptional.

*I have ridden every system except SF and Chicago.
 
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I feel very unqualifiedto vote, since I have not been on all of them, but I found SF to be incredibly user friendly and multi modal. DC is a close second for me. NY intimidated the hell out of me, mainly because of the sheer number of people and me never riding it before.
 
I have only used the public transit in Chicago, New York, and DC. I chose NYC, simply because it is the most pervasive and extensive. But DC's is certainly a close second, because it beats NYC on cleanliness and comfort.

I hate to say it, but Chicago's is rather lackluster, in relation. Being only a spoke design (everything converging at the center and the city being so lopsided), there is desperate need for crosstown paths, though the densities may not support it.
 
Of the ones mentioned I'd have to give my vote to DC, to be fair I've not experienced all of these systems, but thats the best in my experience.

I'd say my favorite is Toronto's with its cross pattern subways and feeding bus/trolley lines. Pretty darned simple to navigate, and I never recall waiting forever for a bus or a train like I've experienced here in Motown.
 
mendelman said:
I have only used the public transit in Chicago, New York, and DC. I chose NYC, simply because it is the most pervasive and extensive. But DC's is certainly a close second, because it beats NYC on cleanliness and comfort.

I hate to say it, but Chicago's is rather lackluster, in relation. Being only a spoke design (everything converging at the center and the city being so lopsided), there is desperate need for crosstown paths, though the densities may not support it.
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The fat-strip shape of Manhattan makes it ideally suited to subway with brief and easy east-west travel on the island. The spoke design used in less geographically constrained cities such as Chicago is more problematic for cross-town traffic. With tons of investment over time, a well-integrated system of interconnecting loops and spokes can work wonders as can be seen in the system layouts of many a European city's rail system. I would imagine several European cities have better transit than NYC.
 
well.....

DC for me.....maybe just because that's the one I've used the most....
It did seem to be cleaner than the others (never been to Portland)

Why didn't you put LA on that list.....snicker......snarf.....Bwa Ha Ha Ha:-x :r: :D
 
I'm only familiar with the NY and DC systems as I was born and raised in NYC and now live in the DC Metro area. When looking at those two systems, the NYC transit system wins hands down, and it's all because of accessibility and convenience.

In NYC you're always within walking distance of one, if not more, modes of public transportation and it's available 24hours a day, seven days a week.

While the DC system is newer and cleaner, it is only convenient to those who are fortunate to work or live close to Metro rail...in most cases you still have to drive several miles of take a local bus line (i.e. Fairfax Connector) to get to a Metro system and DC Metro does not operate 24hrs a day.
 
I would say New York even though I'm a native New Yorker. In NYC, the rail system is so expansive and well used that they run 24 hours a day! I lived in Boston for about five years and despite really liking their system it was very downtown Boston-centric and kind of spotty in some cases. I now live in Portland and the transit is very good I must say - especially in the burbs, but some options just don't exist, like express trains and so on.
 
This Bear pulled the vote lever for New York. The size, the modes, the relative efficiency.....all give NYC a similar feel as the better transit systems in the rest of the world.

I agree with DetroitPlanner and his view on Toronto. Every trip to Toronto has been made very pleasant by the ease-of-use of the subways and trolleys.

Bear
 
I voted for Portland since that is the one that I am the most familiar with and because of the cost factor. Portland has managed to provide bus service to most of its suburbs from 6am-12am on most days. The MAX train and commuter lots make for a pretty efficient trip to the downtown area. The last year I was there an all-zone unlimited ride monthly pass was about $50, but I got mine at a discount from the university. Even if you buy a single ride ticket you can still transfer between bus and train without having to buy a new ticket. Most often a single ride ticket lasts between 1.5 to 2 hours, but there are other kinds of tickets too if you want to use the system for a day or hald day. The downfall to the system IMHO is that there are no express trains so you are stuck at every stop due to running on a single track, although there are a number of express busses during commute time and somewhat sporadic service to the very outer 'burbs. Tri-Met gets uber points for their LIFT system which are point to point mini-busses for disabled persons and their caretaker or companion. Call ahead to schedule a trip and it costs about a buck each way. My mom used them extensively in her last years when she could no longer walk to the bus stop or drive and it allowed her freedom to go places w/o having to pay high cab fares or rely on someone for a ride.

I've ridden on the NYC transit system which I think is quite efficient and as someone said it runs 24 hours. For me though it was a bit of a turn off to pay each time I boarded a train or bus. I did get a weekly strip card which worked out well for about $20. The transit system is covered by all modes of transportation and connects well with Amtrak and NJIT too.
 
great points about the system here in Portland. I love it!!! it's such a bargain!!! espeically in the Fareless Sq. where you don't have to pay anything to get around that zone. the MAX system is a gem! it's clean, safe, and efficient. I would say NY is tops because of so many options being available - from commuter rail to ferries. the NYC transit scene is rough around the edges though such as many stations being quite old and decrepit. and there are so many agencies stiring the pot it's often hard to find out who goes where. I think some of that is changing though though better coordination under the MTA.
 
I like Chicago's because it provides extensivley to the areas that need it most and use it most. I would advocate it alot more if they didn't just do a rate hike
 
I would have voted for NYC, with some qualifications:

-Bus service is overloaded and sometimes unreliable (due to traffic)
-No rail connections to Brooklyn/Queens above 63rd St. (though I can't say I've seen network analyses or transit use in NYC... so such a service may not be warranted.)
-I've never experienced horrible cleanliness porblems on the Subway, but I've not ridden every line (I've never been on the L, which many NYC'ers say is consistently the worst.)
-Notorious commuter rail bottlenecks under the East and Hudson rivers, as well as the brutal queues for NJ Transit buses through Lincoln Tunnel.

Simply put, though, the system is so incredibly expansive that no one else can really compare... it brings true meaning to 'life without a car' (as in you can do everything without one.)

And the increasing integration (transfers on Metrocard, Metrocard acceptance for Airtrain and PATH, Trips123 trip planning) is showing a concerted effort by the multiple agencies to coordinate the plethora of modes available.
 
also feeding into the Lincoln Tunnel are the buses to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal! I wish there were a better link between Penn and Grand Central Stations, too!
 
NYC/Metro all the way -- carries around half (or more?) of all RAIL commuters in the US on any single day! Chicago is #2 but only because the system runs 24/7 (although I did wait for an Irving Park bus from 1am to 4am one night and it never showed up...). And Portland? -- I don't think it should have been included in the poll, if one would insist on light rail / bus only system I'd choose St. Louis -- lr system there is much more comprehensive than Portland's and is growing at a quicker pace.
 
portlandrican said:
also feeding into the Lincoln Tunnel are the buses to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal! I wish there were a better link between Penn and Grand Central Stations, too!
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Re: Lincoln Tunnel

That's really what I said... sure there are inter-city buses from PABT, but the majority of the congestion is from the ridiculous number of NJTransit buses from the areas of north Jersey not served by rail (or the buses that supplement rail.)

That situation might improve with the completion of the THE--maybe more of the buses would terminate in Hoboken/Weehawken if the rail capacity under the river were increased (and if a more seamless NJTransit fare system were introduced.)
 
to be carless

NYC has the most expansive system, with the most coverage, and it is the easiest place to NOT have a car I have lived (though I did fine on a bicycle back in the day in Madison, WI for school and work). My last point is the litmus that interests me about other cities and metro areas - how well can you live there and apply to jobs and go out at night and get your groceries assuming you don't and won't ever have a car? Clean is a nice metric, but way down the important and essential list.
 
cgrmndo said:
NYC has the most expansive system, with the most coverage, and it is the easiest place to NOT have a car I have lived (though I did fine on a bicycle back in the day in Madison, WI for school and work). My last point is the litmus that interests me about other cities and metro areas - how well can you live there and apply to jobs and go out at night and get your groceries assuming you don't and won't ever have a car? Clean is a nice metric, but way down the important and essential list.
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I would agree with this assessment. However, I would certainly rank safety right up there. One of the things a lot of people like about their cars, is that they're isolated within their own locked doors. This gives them a sense of security. I personally find the mass transit appealing, seeing all the different people get on and off the train. I think one is more in tune with his surroundings, and the "heart of the city" on mass transit. This said, it's a large obstacle to overcome, for drivers to start anew, and give up that sense of security.
 
I wish I didn't have to say NYC, but I do. It is dirtier, less safe, less reliable, and less pleasant than just about every other system listed there. It also has higher fares than most. Despite the "four track express" thing some people rave about, it is still painfully slow for getting around to most places. It also has huge service issues (poor cross-town service, buses that are slower than walking, sparse subway coverage in many areas outside of Manhattan and even some places in Manhattan, constant construction-related service changes, lines that shut down whenever it rains, very long nighttime waits). The stations are deteriorating and usually depressing, utilitarian spaces only slightly softened by after-thought mosaics and art.

Nonetheless, it is still better than the other systems at handling most transit needs. It is the only system that is 24-hour. It's the only system that is really an automobile substitute for most people.
 
I agree that NYC has an excellent system, but can be super intimidating. I remember looking at the subway map the first time and thinking it was spaghetti.

San Francisco is good, but for such a small area, I feel like it could be a lot faster. The BART and CalTrains systems that serve the whole Bay Area (SF, Oakland, San Jose) are slow and outdated.

Portland seems the most efficient. I really like how you don't have to pay to ride the light-rail downtown.
 
Powered by Sweat said:
I would agree with this assessment. However, I would certainly rank safety right up there. One of the things a lot of people like about their cars, is that they're isolated within their own locked doors. This gives them a sense of security. I personally find the mass transit appealing, seeing all the different people get on and off the train. I think one is more in tune with his surroundings, and the "heart of the city" on mass transit. This said, it's a large obstacle to overcome, for drivers to start anew, and give up that sense of security.
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I'm not quite sure what people mean by this. What's going to happen to you on the train?

I mean, i hear about fatal crashes a few times a day. I hear about carjackings or road rage incidents about once a week.

I hear about violence in or near transit stops a few times a year.

I've heard about violence on a transit vehicle once in the last 7 years and that was a fistfight between two guys who knew each other.

I think living in the suburbs has a strange effect on ones' sociability. What always cracks me up is when i happen to be in the suburbs (or around Independence Park if i'm not dressed for work) and walk near a woman with small children. They'll always put themselves between me and their children and usually tuck their handback underneath the arm furthest from me. Me. Its hilarious. It's not insulting anymore, just funny.

That never happens to me. Not even in the neighborhood parks. I'm apparently that super-approachable guy that everyone wants to get directions from . . . and the guy all the panhandlers like to single out to ask money from.

People aren't dangerous because they don't do their clothes shopping at the mall or because you're close enough to them to see that they've had a long day. It's OK to be around strangers. Just because you don't know them doesn't mean they want to hurt you.
 
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an irrational sense of security is a sense of security nonetheless, no? it may not be accurate, but it can be very convincing.

anyway, DC is the only one of those systems I know well, and while I'm also pretty happy about its cleanliness, there are a lot of 'dead zones' in the city and the burbs where transit is nonexistent or cumbersome, for a variety of reasons. I remember going home from high school (a 15-minute drive if there's no traffic) took two hours and two different systems (Metro and a county bus). The multiple systems/administrations thing, which obviously exists in any city with suburban transit systems, is especially awkward in DC's situation.

What I loved when visiting friends in NYC/SF/Chicago is that they'd never feel the need to check a schedule before starting a trip - one of the wonderful things about a city of that size is that you can rely on a bus or train showing up within a few minutes. Definitely something I miss living in a small city!
 
I thought Hong Kong's subway was incredibly easy to understand and navigate considering the size of that city.
 
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