Op-Ed: Summer in Berlin Changes Perspective on Cars - Streetsblog San Francisco

A trip to Berlin led to a realization that public transit can connect people to everyday destinations without relying on a car. Public transit benefits a city’s economy, creates community space, and reduces millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide. Transit systems can be broadly accessible across socioeconomic status and varying abilities, offering an equitable solution to a manufactured problem. In the United States, car ownership can function as a burden as well as a convenience, and protecting the environment should be treated as an investment in people rather than a financial strain. Concerns about cost and maintenance are addressed by noting that rail can be restored and improved rather than built from scratch, and that existing railroads in the Bay Area provide a model for other regions.

"Upon my return to California, I was initially overjoyed to be out and about, but that was until I realized that to go anywhere in my city, I would need to take my car. By contrast, the tram in Germany, not even a minute away from my hostel, could take me to a nearby coffee shop, a park, and a nearby grocery store."

"The studies are clear: public transit benefits a city's economy, creates community space, and cuts down on millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide. In addition, it offers a mode of transit that is broadly accessible, regardless of socioeconomic status and able-bodiedness, creating an equitable solution to a manufactured issue."

"We need an attitude shift in America, one that goes against the individualism perpetuated in our society, and understands that protecting the environment is an investment in people and not a financial strain. United States residents need to realize that a car is as much a burden as a convenience."

"A common argument against public transit is that it is expensive to install and maintain. This apprehension towards rail in California is compounded by the fact that our high-speed rail project is nowhere close to completion and has cost way more than previously promised. However, though high-speed rail may not have fulfilled its initial promise, this does not mean public transit is a lost cause in California. In the Bay, especially, the benefit of railroads has been a good case study for the rest of the state and country. And we do not necessarily need to build new rails, but can often just restore and improve old ones."

Read at Streetsblog San Francisco