This morning our friends over at Transportation for America are launching a new site called My Commute Sucks, designed to give people around the country a place to vent their frustration over the nation's overburdened and inefficient transportation systems. Commuters can share their tales of commuting woe, upload photos and videos, and also take action by contacting members of Congress to ask for a more sane and sustainable approach to transportation policy.
Already the stories are starting to pile up. Here's one from a New Jersey commuter named Betty:
The Garden State Parkway in New Jersey is a nightmare, just like Jersey's other main arteries.
I would love to bike to the train, but the town of Little Silver doesn't have safe cycling roads. Pedestrians are also at risk on some of the very busy, sidewalk-free and shoulderless roads.
Finally, the trains are a mess with many discontinuous lines, requiring bus/taxi/light rail connections between stations. ugh
Build bikeways and we will come! Fix the trains and we will ride!
Brian Fellows asks:
Why should we tolerate 1- and 2-hour commutes? Think how much time we spend away from our families, burning fossil fuels, and getting stressed out -- every day, every month, every year. The quantity is staggering. Even now, just 5 months after the start of our metro area's light rail system (which people are flocking to!) it still takes me an hour to get to work. Building more lane-miles simply induces more people to drive -- and there you have it: even more traffic. I would like Congress to attach requirements to highway money that mandate recipients/states to design higher-density and mixed-use development along the highway corridors.
Go ahead and add your own story. The site has lots of interactive features, including a Twitter feed for micro-rants (tag with #mycommutesucks). You can also follow them on Twitter, they're @mycommutesucks.
