Transport in the U.S.

During my recent trip to the U.S. I was surprised at how much better their public transport systems were considering the U.S. is meant to be in thrall to the personal automobile. Whilst I didn’t see very much in the way of dedicated cycle paths, and the pedestrian and cyclist are definitely still looked down on by the card drivers, I see a number of things that I like:

1. Cheap ubiquitous public transport – Whilst locals might think that the subway in NYC is expensive, or smelly, or dirty, and their are many problems with it, I think that the NYC subway is a wonderful way to get around the city. It is quite cheap to get to where you wish to go to and you can travel and transition between many lines for a flat fee. It is also a simple matter to get from bus to subway to train to airport, and everything in between. Contrast that with the decades old arguments for and against having a rail link to Edinburgh airport, the reintroduction of tram systems in Edinburgh and Manchester and other places to deal with traffic congestion after we sidelined out public transport systems for too long, and the sheer expense of taking a bus anywhere because of the profiteering by privately owned bus companies.
2. Bike racks on the front of buses in California – These are excellent, you can use the bus to get you part of the way to your destination, or past tricky or dangerous areas, then you debark, pull your bike off the rack and cycle to your destination. Brilliant. Why can’t we have bike racks on the front of buses in the U.K.?

I found a decent discussion of the history of bike racks on buses in California.