Having a Public Transit Stop Near Work

One of the things I don’t miss about the West Coast is having to drive and maintain a car. I appreciate the public transportation system in NYC and the relative ease of the daily commute.

For those taking public transit, which is more important: living near a transit stop, or working near one? The ideal answer, of course, is both, but researchers at the University of Denver studied the commute patterns of 3,400 Denver workers who either lived, worked, or lived and worked near Denver rail lines and found that “commuters who worked near light rail had much stronger transit commute habits than those who lived near it.”

Living near a transit station area by itself does not increase the likelihood of using non-car modes for work commutes. But as would be expected, if the destination (work) is near a transit station, persons are less likely to drive a car to work.

This makes sense, of course. If you live near public transit, you’re not going to take it to work if your workplace isn’t near a transit stop. Those who do have a stop near their workplace but not one near their home often do a combination of driving to a public transit stop that will take them the rest of the way to their job.

My dream scenario would be living within walking distance to work, which I’ve got to have a taste of while cat-sitting for friends who live near our office location (as Ester does). No train delays!

Photo: Tony Webster

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