Geeezzzz.... Washington DC Metro was what I had in mind when I wrote that. The Metro seems fast, but try to get to a movie on time. I started way early, got on at Springfield, had to transfer, then got off and had to walk several blocks... and was late.
You can't eat on the Metro. You can't play your radio on the Metro (nevermind most of it's underground and isn't going to receive radio signals anyway.) You can't drink on the Metro. You can't smoke on the Metro. You can't have any privacy at all on the Metro (have to share space with other people - just the thing that makes carpooling so unpopular...) Metro stations don't have rest rooms. There's no rest rooms on the trains either. (At least I can stop somewhere if I'm driving...) A little girl (12 yrs old) was handcuffed and taken away for eating a french fry on the Metro (the platform, not the train.) A pregnant woman was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed a few months ago by a Metro cop for talking too loudly on her cell phone. The list is neverending...
Do you get the EPA MPGExactly, but my point is the EPA figures are do-able in the real world- IF you consider the conditions of the test (under 60 miles per hour driving). If people aren't getting the EPA...
And try to get somewhere late at night. If the trains are still running, it gets really a long time between when you get off and when the next train going in your direction comes by. And, BTW, on the Metro or any other public transportation you're more open to attack if you happen to be unknowingly sharing your space with some of the violent criminal elements. At least in a car you might get a chance to use your weapon - the car - and run 'em over. Its been done. And the Washington Metro you're in Washington, DC, where you can't carry a firearm for your protection either.
I actually like to ride the Metro, but its in the same manner I like to ride a rollercoaster - its fun - an amusement - and as long as I'm not expecting to get anyplace on it in a hurry, its OK. It ain't fast. It has tons of drawbacks, mentioned above. But its fairly pretty, and will get me to the Smithsonian and a few other interesting places which is usually where I'm going anyway.
The DC Metro is about as good as it gets, and, for any time-sensitive travel, it still isn't good enough.
Dave Head
