How we get somewhere is often a defining characteristic of a trip. Whether we fly to Portland, drive to Ashville, hop a train to Chicago, bike to a nearby state park, roll to the IGA, or walk to our favorite coffee shop, how we get there is often just as much a part of the story as the destination itself. So why do we limit ourselves to certain modalities of transportation? Well, often because we like to use what we know, what’s comfortable. When we want to get somewhere with as little stress as possible along the way, we rarely deviate from the convenience of our established routines. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with this, either. Who can blame someone for wanting to experience a smooth journey? If you thought I was going to say “no one” then I have some unfortunate news for you: I, Ben, can and will blame someone for wanting to experience a smooth, or at least familiar, journey. Now, this isn’t me saying that you need to have an uncomfortable life, no no. What this is though, is me saying that you shouldn’t always. We’re going to talk about the idea of new and potentially daunting things, and how they can positively affect your life.
I have had the opportunity to ride public transit in several different countries, and several different states here in the US. From buses in New York, to the subway in Paris, to an aerial tram in Portland, all of these methods of travel have a common link: they’re accessible to the public and intended for the public. They offer people the opportunity to experience their city in a profoundly different way than traveling by car. But travel doesn’t have to be in some faraway place, it happens right here at home, every day.
I go to the grocery store fairly regularly, as do many of us. Most often, I drive my car. I would argue that most often, nearly all of us car owners drive our car. We live in an incredibly car-focused world, and thusly that becomes our “standard” of travel. It’s direct, it’s accessible exactly when we want it, its cost is something we have accepted, and most importantly, it’s the comfortable standard for a large number of people. But what if, hear me out, you…didn’t drive there? What if you tried something you hadn’t tried before?
This is going to seem off-topic, but I promise I’ll bring it home. I do most of the driving in my relationship with my partner. I’ll generally drive us to the grocery, the gym, to a restaurant, or to a different city. But sometimes, I won’t. I’ll hop in the passenger seat. And do you know what I notice every time I do? Something new. Something different. Something interesting. I have time to look, really look, at the houses, we’re driving past. At the trees starting to flower, the house being repainted, the dog chasing a stick. These are all small things, but I believe that they’re much more important than we give them credit for being. These are all things that contribute to a life being more enriched, more full. So, what if we didn’t even travel in the same vehicle we’re accustomed to?
Public transit has an inherently intimidating feel about it. Those of us who haven’t used it before are often nervous to try it, worried by what could go wrong. What if I miss my stop? What if I get on the wrong bus? What if there’s someone on the bus I don’t know and have to sit near? All of these fears are fair and valid for someone to initially worry they will experience, but are they a fair representation of what we’re going to actually encounter or experience? I contend that they are not. Before I had my job as the Mobility Coordinator in Athens and Hocking Counties, I had never ridden Athens Public Transit (APT). I never bothered to ask myself “what if I just give it a try?”. Having ridden it extensively now, I can and will argue until I am blue in the face, that public transit is easy to use, affordable, convenient, and dare I say it, life-changing.
For me, it isn’t life-changing in the way that many people in the world of public transit like to bill it, myself included. It hasn’t given me an independence I was lacking before; it hasn’t afforded me the opportunity to finally have access to a grocery store, or a doctors’ office, or a new job. I’m not one of the thousands of people in our county for whom public transit is an absolute necessity. But it has given me the opportunity to appreciate the world around me when I’m traveling. When I ride an APT bus, I’m not watching the car in front of me, or worrying about the driver behind me. I’m looking out the windows. I’m looking at the place that I call home from a perspective I hadn’t been able to enjoy before. I’m leaving behind the “comfort” of my own car, and allowing myself to experience something new and different; what was once an intimidating prospect, a frightening idea of being thrust into an unfamiliar situation, is now something else entirely: relaxing, enjoyable, exciting, and enriching.
Ben Ziff, Mobility Management Coordinator
ben.ziff@hapcap.org
Ben Ziff, Mobility Management Coordinator
ben.ziff@hapcap.org