Escalating costs of gasoline have led to increases in the use of public transit in the US and Canada, two nations that have traditionally been some of the most reluctant to part with the automobile as the chosen method to commute to work. This increased usage of transit systems across the continent (and around the world) is one of the benefits of the rise in global energy prices. Hopefully we are entering a new era of much-needed awareness with regard to energy consumption that will see increases in conservation and innovation and continued popularity of public transit.

I had an experience a couple of weeks ago that leads me to question whether our local transit authorities are adequately prepared for the surge in demand. I had a meeting in Toronto at 10:30 on a weekday morning, so I stayed at my parent’s house in the suburbs the night before. My plan was to drive 5 minutes to the local commuter rail station, park my car there and take the train into the city. I arrived there around 9:00 and could not find a single parking spot in the entire large lot. I drove to the next station and checked there also, but to no avail. With the signs posted throughout the lot threatening to tow and ticket for improper parking I decided to drive into the city instead. Luckily the traffic was good and I found a spot to park on the street for $5.

As I drove into Toronto that morning I wondered how many other people have had a similar experience where they had good intentions but the transit infrastructure wasn’t prepared to accommodate them. According to the Washington Post, public transit in the US has been woefully under-funded for decades and the current spike in usage will make evident this neglect. This means that there are probably countless people that have had experiences like I had that morning, and a lot of potential transit users are opting to continue driving because there simply isn’t the infrastructure in place to let them make the switch. Let us hope that governments and transit authorities have already started to act on this problem, so that they can keep up with the demands that almost certainly will continue to rise.

Photograph courtesy of Tufts University.