Last week, I read an article from Good Magazine with one of my favorite mass transit related titles ever: Young People Are Driving Less—And Not Just Because They’re Broke.
It appears that, in spite of most of the nation being built around the idea that you get in your car to do anything, more young people are choosing to take mass transportation in lieu of driving. The Good article cited studies that fewer teenagers have drivers’ licenses than 30 years ago with about 22 percent of drivers under age 30. In the early 80s, that number was one third higher.
Some naysayers say “Duh. Statistics prove that whenever the economy is tough, people drive less.” And that is true, but there is something profound going on in this country about how we view transportation (biking, walking, mass transportation) and where we live because of it. The Realtor Association of America’s 2011 Community Preference Survey indicated that people are choosing more walkable neighborhoods and are willing to downsize their homes to do it. About 2 weeks ago, a report by the American Public Transportation Association showed that the number of people riding mass transit the first quarter of 2012 tipped the scales at the highest since 1999.
And don’t forget that you in the Rochester area can join those ranks on June 21st for ROC Transit Day. Many places across the country don’t have a reliable and thorough mass transit system. And there are a lot of people in Rochester who are very grateful to have mass transit as an option. And that’s a thing to be celebrated and utilized by more people.
Learn more about Reconnect Rochester’s ROC Transit Day! You get to leave the driving to someone else FOR FREE. Yes, we said FREE.
And not that you SHOULD need more incentive than using less gas, polluting less and free bus rides, food & drink. But if you do, here’s a list from the American Public Transportation Association that Reconnect Rochester calls “a gazillion reasons to use public transportation.”
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