Submitted by maria (not verified) on June 27, 2007 - 5:50am.
I called in towards the end of the show and I think I must have sounded like a total spazz...there were so many other things I wanted to say, but I didn't want to ramble any more than I already did on-air. Topics I didn't mention:
-"Commuter culture" extends beyond the work schedule and into our home lives. The days of the downtown department store are long gone; in fact, I was actually calling from the parking lot of the Pikesville Target, because anyone who lives in the city has to drive out to the 'burbs if he or she wants to shop at a Target, a JC Penney, a PetsMart or a Home Depot. Tough luck if you don't have a car (especially in Baltimore)! I would love if we still had big-name department stores downtown! The fact is, no one in the newer suburbs lives within walking distance of anything. You've got to drive. And I think that's odd.
-To elaborate on my comment on the show: during rush hour on the DC Metro, you can just walk into the station and be pretty sure that if you just missed a train, another one will be along in 3 minutes. Not so on the MTA Metro subway, the light rail, the MARC, and many of the bus routes. I am really trying to make the conscious choice to take public transportation despite the fact that I have a car, but it's much more difficult when you have to plan around a very inflexible (and sometimes unreliable) window of time. I live only 15 minutes from my college by car, but to get there using public transportation, it can take 30 - 45 minutes. Most days I am willing to spend the extra time to save gas and have one fewer car clogging up 83 southbound, but sometimes I'm late and I'm forced to take the car.
-Melody Simmons made the comment (I think) along the lines that cyclists aren't sensible when it comes to city biking/bike commuting. I agree; it seems like a lot of folks are flying blind. It's difficult to know where to start, but Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips (http://www.runmuki.com/commute/) is an excellent online resource for people who want to try commuting by bike. I've also heard wonderful things about Velocipede, Baltimore's own local bike co-op.
I called in towards the end
I called in towards the end of the show and I think I must have sounded like a total spazz...there were so many other things I wanted to say, but I didn't want to ramble any more than I already did on-air. Topics I didn't mention:
-"Commuter culture" extends beyond the work schedule and into our home lives. The days of the downtown department store are long gone; in fact, I was actually calling from the parking lot of the Pikesville Target, because anyone who lives in the city has to drive out to the 'burbs if he or she wants to shop at a Target, a JC Penney, a PetsMart or a Home Depot. Tough luck if you don't have a car (especially in Baltimore)! I would love if we still had big-name department stores downtown! The fact is, no one in the newer suburbs lives within walking distance of anything. You've got to drive. And I think that's odd.
-To elaborate on my comment on the show: during rush hour on the DC Metro, you can just walk into the station and be pretty sure that if you just missed a train, another one will be along in 3 minutes. Not so on the MTA Metro subway, the light rail, the MARC, and many of the bus routes. I am really trying to make the conscious choice to take public transportation despite the fact that I have a car, but it's much more difficult when you have to plan around a very inflexible (and sometimes unreliable) window of time. I live only 15 minutes from my college by car, but to get there using public transportation, it can take 30 - 45 minutes. Most days I am willing to spend the extra time to save gas and have one fewer car clogging up 83 southbound, but sometimes I'm late and I'm forced to take the car.
-Melody Simmons made the comment (I think) along the lines that cyclists aren't sensible when it comes to city biking/bike commuting. I agree; it seems like a lot of folks are flying blind. It's difficult to know where to start, but Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips (http://www.runmuki.com/commute/) is an excellent online resource for people who want to try commuting by bike. I've also heard wonderful things about Velocipede, Baltimore's own local bike co-op.