I think a part of this is because I grew up watching my dad commuting (via train) to work, and while it's certainly taken a physical toll on him, it always seemed relatively effective and easy. Plus, once I started driving, it took me some time to ease into it, particularly on highways, so I always preferred another, "safer" option, were it available.
That's all changed now, though, because I love driving. Yes, I still get apprehensive sometimes—I know there are crazy drivers out there—but overall, I'm comfortable and happy when behind the wheel of a car.
In comparison, my appreciation for public transportation has considerably diminished.
With public transportation, I feel as though there are an increased number of variables that are out of the traveler's control. For instance, something such as a train has a schedule to which it adheres, but even those can run off course, and as such, mess up the steps that follow. Then there are those things, such as the subway, which arrive at the stop whenever they please.
I am not the type of person who finds it easy to plan around ambiguity, nor do I enjoy having to do so.
Furthermore, I dislike the idea of having to take so many steps. In commuting to New York, for example, one first needs to get in their car and drive to the train station. From there, they take the train into New York. Once in the city, they walk to the subway station, wait for the subway, take it, and then walk to their office from the station at which they disembarked.
Conversely, in driving somewhere, I get to go from the driveway or parking lot straight to my location. From point A to point B, with no steps in between.
While trains and subways don't have to sit in rush hour traffic, I'd much rather do so than take extra steps or be thrown off course if there's a delay or closed track.
Plus, a lot of times, those extra steps cause the overall time of travel to be just as long, if not longer, than that of a drive.
I think people also get bored sitting in a car (especially in traffic), but I don't. As long as I have some music (especially mix CDs; I love those), I really enjoy driving. I just turn up the volume and sing along, whether I'm driving for two minutes or two hours. Honestly, so long as I have music, I'm hardly paying attention to how long my drive is taking—unless, of course, I'm on a tight schedule or am trying to get somewhere (like work) at a specific time.
Alternatively, when I'm on a train, I'm significantly more anxious. I'm always checking the time and waiting for the ride to be over, even though I usually have the company of great reading material and my iPod.
Also, unlike some others, I find it extremely difficult to sleep on trains, which I think is largely because I fear that I'm going to miss my stop. This is problematic, too, because I frequently get sleepy when I'm on the train, but just have to sit there and fight it.
But it's all just a matter of preference, really; there are those who'd much rather sit on a train, waiting for the tracks to clear than sit at a traffic light (or several). I'm just not one of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment