As gas prices increase, so do crowds at park-and-ride lots

[rainbow4321]

Anyone here having similiar problems in their area?

I use one of the park and ride areas mentioned in the article. Fortunately, I catch the 6:20 or 6:40 am train into Dallas, well before the traditional rush hour/parking frenzy. The article has a picture of a police officer ticketing cars that are parked illegally near the station (that would suck, getting back to your car and finding THAT at the end of the day--unless riders/owners KNEW ahead of time it was an illegal area-- then, IMHO: too bad, so sad).

In DART's defense, they have bus stops near pretty much every neighborhood in this city so taking the bus to the train station IS an option...they also have an on-call shuttle that will pick you up and take you to the station during the rush hours times.



http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/071208dnmetDART.448ef314.html

Along the DART Red Line north of Dallas, commuters are parking at big box stores or along curbs up to a half-mile from the station.

More park-and-ride lots in the area are filling to the bursting point. The packed lots are a symbol of transition for a region long wedded to the automobile that now is embracing rail and buses in larger numbers.



Lots are packed in Houston, Phoenix and communities in the Pacific Northwest. The Tri-Rail system in South Florida saw ridership skyrocket 43 percent in June alone, fueling problems there, a spokesman said. Some parking lots in San Diego are holding more than twice as many cars as last year.


<snip>
Warren Fortson, a Fry’s supervisor, said commuters began appearing several months ago when gas prices started climbing. He said the store has generally accommodated them but that management will act if the trend begins disrupting business.

[gratuitous]

1. There IS a potential silver lining to the spike in gas prices

People will re-evaluate their habits, which is almost never a bad thing. Some people will choose to keep on keepin' on, but at least they will have evaluated their habits. Other people will unthinkingly adopt new habits, and continue in a rut of mindless consumerism. Who will get to those people first? Someone with progressive ideas or another large corporation angling for a slice of a diminishing pie?

Public transit in the United States is pretty much a disgrace (John McCain, if you're casting about for something disgraceful besides Social Security, there it is). We haven't done squat-ah since the 1930s or 1940s to work toward getting people out of their cars. Still, even with gas at 4 bucks a gallon, I see car after car on my morning commute (either by bicycle or city bus) with just one person in it. Occasionally there's a kid being ferried to school, but more than 4 out of 5 cars are single occupant. Car pool with someone just once a week, and you cut your fuel bill by 10% (you take your neighbor to work one day, he takes you another).

And really, how often do you need to have your car during the day? Sure, there was that day little Marblehead was throwing up in first grade, but that was three years ago. The peace of mind, knowing that you can bolt out the door at a moment's notice is nice, but is it worth what you're paying for it? Maybe it is, but at the very least, take a look at it again. Maybe you can't take public transit to work every day, but how about once a week? You might find it's not as bad as you thought. But, uh, stay out of my seat, in case it's really bad weather or my bike has a flat, 'kay?

[rainbow4321]

3. Dallas' new $19 million HOV lane set up going unused

Goes between the northern suburbs and Dallas.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-centralhov_11met.ART.North.Edition1.4d58415.html


Six months after they opened, the new HOV lanes on Central Expressway are still only about half full. And the number of cheaters using the lanes while driving alone is on the rise.

Still, the steady increase in traffic on the lanes stalled in June, and the numbers remain well below their maximum capacity of 1,600 vehicles per hour.

That frustrates drivers stuck in traffic on the main lanes watching what seems like only occasional HOV users speeding by.

"During rush hour, you get road rage just looking at it," said Jennifer Bryan, 30, who usually takes the DART train to downtown Dallas but finds herself stuck in traffic when she drives from her home in McKinney. "It's just a lane sitting there without anyone on it. One day I drove into work, and literally I saw five cars in the HOV lane."

[SoCalDem]

4. carpooling with a neighbor doesn't work well out here

:(

[Skink]

2. Wow. Dallas call San Antonio and offer some advice.

San Antonio where you can take the bus to work but you can't get home after 9 pm.

[Missy Vixen]

5. My husband is now taking the 5:30 AM bus

The park and ride lots here are filling by 6:30. We also notice that Microsoft has started their own shuttle buses, which we appreciate.

We're lucky to have such wonderful public transit when there are so many other areas of the country that don't.

Julie

[FarCenter]

6. We need to be able to get to the "ride" lot without driving and parking

A car worth $10,000 costs at least $10/day for depreciation and interest opportunity cost. Even if the mileage driven to the lot is minimal.