How Bad Transit Encourages Car Ownership

The lack of robust public transit networks in many U.S. cities reduces access to opportunity and drives those who can afford it to buy private vehicles.

2 minute read

July 1, 2021, 12:00 PM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Bus Stop

Google Streetview / Google Maps

Before buying a car, writes Dharna Noor in Gizmodo, "I had to plan my life around my carlessness." The improvement in her life after becoming a vehicle owner, Noor writes, made her realize that it shouldn't be that way.

"Cars are dangerous. They constitute one of the largest shares of greenhouse gas emissions of any sector in the U.S., and they also produce toxic pollution like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter," not to mention the 6,000 pedestrians killed by cars every year. Fighting guilt, Noor took the plunge into car ownership. "Immediately, it was like I lived in a different city." 

The car opened up new possibilities, and the same holds true in cities across the country. "A 2017 analysis of Census data by Governing found that in nearly every U.S. city, driving to work is much quicker than using a bus or train," encouraging people to drive. Yet "[t]here’s nothing inherently slow about public transit—in fact, when it’s properly designed, it can actually save users hours of their lives." Noor argues that improving public transit would not only reduce carbon emissions but also "ensure everyone has access to opportunity" and increase ridership. "Imagine if access to parks and lakes weren’t limited to those who can afford to buy, maintain, and park their cars. That could go far in improving access for exploited, poor communities who are disproportionately harmed by highway pollution."

Monday, June 21, 2021 in Gizmodo

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight