As the weather has been changing and my respiratory system not keeping
up, I’ve been taking the metro more frequently. One aspect of public
transit that I miss when biking is the social atmosphere. Unless I am
riding my bike with someone, it is just me, alone on my bike.
However, even when travelling alone on metro, there are always other
people around. Even if you aren’t feeling particularly outgoing that
day, metro conversation eavesdropping is a great way to spend a
commute. Since I know that I really enjoy metro eavesdropping, I am
sometimes inspired to up the zaniness factor of my conversations on
metro, for entertainment purposes. There is less mental strain since
you just need to pay attention to where your stop is, not worrying
about how you get between points A and B. If I were to zone out on my
bike, I’d probably get hit by a car (it nearly happens frequently
enough when I am paying attention).
Public transportation is a great way to bring a community together.
Community building is ultimately it’s purpose. However, the metro
community, often overlooked by those who rely heavily on metro, is a
critical piece of bringing people together that is often overlooked
when weighing the costs and benefits of public transit.
