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Should Americans be forced to use public transportation?
Results so far:
| Yes | 40% | 269 votes | Total: 670 votes | |
| No | 60% | 401 votes |
Yes
by Wayne K. Wilkins
Created on: June 19, 2007
Yes. The American Suburbs are a bustling society of working man and cities full to the edge with cars and overkill traffic which is purely unnecessary. Of course, their excuse is that the roads are too full to get to work on time with public transport. Where would the traffic be first thing of a morning if more Americans switched to public transport to get to and from work?
The correct answer, there would be minimal traffic, which means minimal pollution with no expense on yourself, as you will still arrive to work on time, and in turn, you do your daily bit to preserve our dying environment and help combat not only the Global Warming issue, but the ever growing and ever dangerous crowded roads of American Cities.
I am NOT going to say that Americans should be FORCED to use public transport as such, not just yet, but i am going to say i think this would be an amazing idea and an amazing step into keeping our carbon footprint down. Ordinary public transport as it is now would not be able to handle taking every single American to and from work every day, it just wouldn't work. However, it the creases CAN be ironed out in a simple and effective way to keep the traffic down, the pollution minimal and the public transport more popular for the working man.
One of the ways this new law could be enforced is organizing Public Transport and Bus routes to the workplace, Of course, some people may luck out and have a local Train Station near their place of work, which in turn helps out keep the hustle and bustle of bus routes down. For those that do not however, it would be up t the government to co-operate with the specific work place to organize and fund a bus route meeting place and drop-off point each morning in time to start work, and each time to finish work. Not only will the environment and the busy roads benefit from this, the people themselves will. It is a good time to socialize with your co-workers and get to know each other which not only improves your personal social life, but your work ethic and morale in the work place.
Everyone should try to do their bit, but there are those lazy people who DON'T. This is why i think the law, within moderation and co-operation between the Government and busy workplaces, should be enforced and would be a very effective way to help the environment, social lives and cities in general all in one. Cars are very over-used for such silly reasons which could easily be avoided with methods such as these being introduced.
In the mean time, i urge all of you to encourage this method to be introduced, and do your part for the environment why we are fighting for this to be introduced. Change your mode of transport to the workplace, a simple push-bike works wonders for keeping our planet green, and also improves your general fitness. Everyone and everything benefits!
So to conclude, my answer is YES. If a decent and organized schedule can be worked out within the companies and the government, this could prove a VERY effective way to help preserve our planet. We can only hope!
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No
by Dossie M Terrell
Created on: July 14, 2009 Last Updated: May 13, 2012
Why should we want anything that is forced upon us? When a word like "forced" is carelessly tossed about, should we not be more concerned about it and the mindsets of folks promoting that line of thinking than about riding transit systems? America had a forced system once and it took the 13th amendment to repeal it. The idea of being "forced" to do anything runs counter to the Declaration of Independence. Few folks would happily relinquish a right to the State.
Equally important to this argument is that not all public transportation systems are created equal. Recently, as a passenger on the Bay Area Rapid Transit or BART, my otherwise beautiful and engaging trip around the overpopulated City was spoiled by a large group of twenty-somethings.
They sat eating MacDonald's burgers, drinking sodas and beers, gobbling down French fries, and smoking underneath a sign that read "No eating or drinking." They kept looking around as though daring anyone to challenge their churlish behavior. Their loud discourse prevented audible conversation between me and my riding partner; therefore, we had no choice but to sit and wince at their vulgar display of disrespect for the other passengers.
The City municipal transits are even worse because fares are considerably less. Some board buses with the intent to beg for money and when it is not forthcoming, passengers are either assaulted or have cutting barbs heaped at them. Bus drivers are usually too frightened for their own safety to intervene and even when they do, they can offer little if any assistance in the way of enforcement. Many of these public vehicles should have written on each door, "Enter at your own peril."
Sure there is an argument to be made that fewer cars on the road reduce global warming, but after an arduous day at work and having to board a public car carrying folks, many of whom have the manners of an orangutan is not something many are willing to accept, no matter the costs.
Society and our governments seem to accept the notion that all folks are self-governing and will comport themselves in an acceptable and intelligent manner, but that is not the world in which the majority of us reside. Society as well as our governments must change the paradigm for public interaction and perhaps there will be no need to force folks to use public systems, many would ondoubtedly be happy to embrace the convenience and economics of using them.
Furthermore, those who believe that public transportation should be mandatory should first educate the public on ways to behave when folks are packed like sardines in cars that often lack proper ventilation. Will this same group tell many of the riders that civilized folks should, at minimum, take one or two baths a week? Will they tell them that it is not civilized to cough, sneeze or yawn with their mouths wide open?
Will they tell them that it is not good manners to drink themselves into a stupor, board public transportation and proceed to vomit all they drank or ate on the seats or on the floor? Will they tell them it is also not good manners to yell into their cell phone for minutes on end when other passengers are within inches of them? Are they willing, themselves, to ride a transit system daily that has seats that are either wet or stained with days, months or even years of stale urine?
There may be those who would willingly give up a right, I would surmise there are not many in that group, but aside from freely relinquishing a right, why not invest time to ride one of these torture chambers during peak hours and then provide a thorough, logical and meaningful argument on why all Americans should be forced to withstand the torment that would be heaped on them daily.
Americans, as a rule, do not force their compatriots to do anything, nor do they allow their governments to force them to make or accept irrational or illogical laws or dictates. If public transportation systems were adequately maintained, carefully supervised, and offered a few amenties, there would be folks competing to ride them and there would be no need to force them.
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