# Mass transit parking equilibrium? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-transit-parking-equilibrium/638043 "2012-10-17T18:35:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-transit-parking-equilibrium/638043/41 "2012-11-02T04:25:48Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > I live the Bay Area, and, according to Google Maps, work 10.4 miles from home. I can take the freeway and get here in 15-20 minutes, against traffic. On VTA? 1 hour 25 minutes, three buses and walking through some sketchy neighbourhoods. Here the choice to drive seems obvious. I’d like to hear from someone who would make the transit choice with these parameters. What would be the rationale - is it the whole “trapped in a car” thing or something else? _Is_ there a rational reason to choose transit in this case? ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-transit-parking-equilibrium/638043/42 "2012-11-02T04:34:46Z")
> [@OleOneEye](#): > > Here the choice to drive seems obvious. I’d like to hear from someone who would make the transit choice with these parameters. What would be the rationale - is it the whole “trapped in a car” thing or something else? _Is_ there a rational reason to choose transit in this case? About the only reason I would would be my actual situation: one car, two people, second car not in financial reach, spouse with work schedule that makes taking transit not an option. ---
**Author:** ![OleOneEye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f14d63/32.png) [@OleOneEye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OleOneEye)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-transit-parking-equilibrium/638043/43 "2012-11-02T04:43:44Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > About the only reason I would would be my actual situation: one car, two people, second car not in financial reach, spouse with work schedule that makes taking transit not an option. Yes, that makes the decision easy, but involves a purely practical consideration. I want to hear the reasoning from someone who would feel “trapped” in a 15-20 minute car ride but not in an 85 minute trip on three separate buses. I’m guessing it’s a profound ideological difference, but would like to hear explicitly why someone would actively _prefer_ to make the longer, more involved trip every workday. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-transit-parking-equilibrium/638043/44 "2012-12-05T16:45:00Z")
I’m not sure if the situation is getting significantly worse, but it is at the point (and has been for a while) where five minutes and five to six cars seem to make a significant difference. I think it’s rapidly approaching the point where I’d have to adjust my wake-up time even earlier to have a reasonable shot at a parking space. Fortunately, I found a bus line that makes fewer stops than the one I experimented with at first. Unfortunately, the park and ride location isn’t, and doesn’t go through, the best of neighborhoods (though not South Central by any standard), and since my iPad is currently my best mode of entertainment… I think I might hold off the switch until I run out of games on it (since no wifi on the bus). Not sure, though. Also, I realized in taking the bus that the train “makes up” the disadvantage of parking convenience by being more reliable in terms of schedule and having more trains (two sides of the same coin, I’m sure). Regardless, given the parking situation, I’m pretty sure I’m approaching the point where I’ll have little (pleasant) choice. Not that the extra hour of sleep is anything to sneeze at either, but still. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-transit-parking-equilibrium/638043.md?page=2)