Now before you call me some elitist snob, let me mention that I lived ten years in DC without owning a car. I knew the bus routes backwards and forwards and could even time my schedule (such as it was) to some of the routes.

But public transit in DC is designed, by and large, as a subsidy for those not owning cars–not an alternative to driving.

It is slower, it is expensive (and don’t give me that total cost of ownership argument because I’m going to own a car regardless of what I use to get to work), it is inconvenient (unless you live and work atop of stations, but even then see point 1). It’s just not a real alternative.

I like trolleys and what not, and I think a tram system in Anacostia would do wonders for that area, but I really wish someone would start talking about public transit system that would get me out of my car and make my life easier, instead of punishing me (time, money, etc) for taking transit. Faster (mega-fast) trains, faster buses, quicker transfers, developments on top of stations, not miles from.