Why Is Public Transportation Service Bad in America?

in Turkey’s major cities We see that even the public transportation system is strangely more organized compared to the USA. US public transportation systems, which are even more inefficient than ours, are constantly faced with problems such as lower passenger numbers, limited service hours and longer waiting times, unlike other countries.

Most of the costs come from public tax revenues. subsidized is being done. This means that Americans spend more on public transportation but receive poor service.

So, is this situation related to America’s geographical destiny?

Let’s go back in time. Because cities were built after the 1950s, when cars became common public transportation systems It was bound to be ineffective. However, when we look at Canada, although there is a car-based development, the situation of public transportation systems is very different.

For example, Portland vs VancouverIf you compare Salt Lake City to Edmonton, or Des Moines to Winnipeg, you can always see that people can get more public transportation in Canadian cities.

While public transportation is seen as a vital public service in Europe and Asia, it is not possible to find this in the USA.

In the US, this is even seen as a representation of social welfare rather than a vital service. Of course, no result of this perspective has been developed. is public transportation. But this is not enough to be the only reason. America’s advanced streetcar system, Great Depression He was hit with.

developed in the 1920s automobile technologyIt made operating buses cheaper than operating trams.

Geography alone cannot explain this situation. Because automobile based transportation It didn’t just develop in America. Cities in Europe and Canada have been able to improve their public transportation systems, although they have faced the same development.

Even in america Some cities have even eliminated existing public transportation systems in favor of highways. Sounds pretty weird and ‘luxurious’, right?

One of the main reasons: Limited working hours.

Let’s have a brainstorm by looking at our country. Our public transportation service, which operates almost 24/7, has unlimited working hours. While public transportation in other countries is made more attractive by offering higher fares and more frequent service, in the United States public transportation is generally low cost and limited.

The reason why America has fallen behind in this regard, unlike other countries, is from “delayed modernization” It is thought to be caused by .

Professor of regional and urban planning at the University of California Berkeley Robert Cervero, He notes that the increase in public transport service in Europe has less to do with population density than with “a combination of wealth and proximity to power, and a city’s ability to be equipped with a public transport system good enough to attract large numbers of people.”

Another reason is that the routes are not accessible.

For people living in America, the shortest way to get from one place to another is to travel with their own vehicles or walk. Because sometimes in short distance A place that takes 10 minutes by car can take up to 1 hour by public transportation.

this too arrangement of routes It gives rise to the fact that it is necessary. It is thus pointed out that one of the biggest factors why people have difficulty in public transportation is the route.

Of course, this was not always the case. Urbanites from 1890 to 1930 Denver, Des Moines, Los Angeles and Boston “Tram suburbs” developed as buildings were moved to places like. Most homes in these areas were within walking distance of the nearest tram stop.

As the years progressed, automobiles also improved, This led to the USA also being affected by this. That’s why the rails became unusable over time.

the government, to public transport The fact that it does not encourage people is reflected in the usage rate of the vehicles as follows:

Cities are designed within walking distance of people.

II. The increasing interest in car culture and detached houses after World War II also Public transportation in the USA It had a great effect without being used too much. We understand that it is not used, but why don’t they do anything to improve it?

There is only one explanation for this: As mentioned at the beginning, it is due to long routes. The number of passengers is low Due to this reason, necessary maintenance is neglected and they do not want to provide high service for little money.

Even if this is the only reason why public transportation is bad in the USA today, when we look back, a high-speed transition to cars after the 1950s can also be cited as one of the reasons. improving conditions We can say that work continues for this.

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