When I think about public transportation, a lot of different things come up.
Growing up in the suburbs of Southern California and now living in San Francisco, I have seen huge shifts regarding transportation and its implications it has on my health and community. Everyone knows when someone is from Los Angeles, people automatically comment on the traffic. I can 100% vouch for this traffic and how at any point in time traveling on a freeway to or from LA you will be stuck in traffic driving 5 to 10 miles per hour for the next hour and half, depending on your destination. With all these cars siting at a standstill you can only imagine how much pollution and smog is being produced each and every day.
I remember there being a time where I would be driving toward a mountain and can see the hazy layer of smog hovering over the city and just above that layer is "clean air". Seeing this layer would make me think about how I am breathing in this bad air which in the long run is affecting my health. Often times when I would get sick, I would also have the symptom of shortness of breath. I am not diagnosed with asthma nor does anyone in my family have this condition, but for some reason that was something I would get and the doctors would prescribe me an inhaler for the time being. During those times it was always strange to me, but looking back this could be attributed to the air quality and my constant exposure. Since living in San Francisco I have not experienced that specific symptom when coming down with a cold or fever.
Before making my move to San Francisco, I told my family that I did not want to bring my car. I figured that with the way that the city is set up, public transit is much more attainable and I wasn't planning on living too far from campus. For the first year this remained true, but I found myself wanting to get around faster than the buses, muni, or BART would allow, so I bought a vespa. I feel that driving a vespa is not nearly as bad as driving a car and the amount of pollution it puts out is minimal. I have realized lately that since having my vespa, the physical activity I would gain from walking around the city has substantially decreased as I am now able to park as close as possible to any location I am going.
Growing up in the suburbs of Southern California and now living in San Francisco, I have seen huge shifts regarding transportation and its implications it has on my health and community. Everyone knows when someone is from Los Angeles, people automatically comment on the traffic. I can 100% vouch for this traffic and how at any point in time traveling on a freeway to or from LA you will be stuck in traffic driving 5 to 10 miles per hour for the next hour and half, depending on your destination. With all these cars siting at a standstill you can only imagine how much pollution and smog is being produced each and every day.
I remember there being a time where I would be driving toward a mountain and can see the hazy layer of smog hovering over the city and just above that layer is "clean air". Seeing this layer would make me think about how I am breathing in this bad air which in the long run is affecting my health. Often times when I would get sick, I would also have the symptom of shortness of breath. I am not diagnosed with asthma nor does anyone in my family have this condition, but for some reason that was something I would get and the doctors would prescribe me an inhaler for the time being. During those times it was always strange to me, but looking back this could be attributed to the air quality and my constant exposure. Since living in San Francisco I have not experienced that specific symptom when coming down with a cold or fever.
Before making my move to San Francisco, I told my family that I did not want to bring my car. I figured that with the way that the city is set up, public transit is much more attainable and I wasn't planning on living too far from campus. For the first year this remained true, but I found myself wanting to get around faster than the buses, muni, or BART would allow, so I bought a vespa. I feel that driving a vespa is not nearly as bad as driving a car and the amount of pollution it puts out is minimal. I have realized lately that since having my vespa, the physical activity I would gain from walking around the city has substantially decreased as I am now able to park as close as possible to any location I am going.
Aika,
ReplyDeleteYou totally described SoCal! Everytime I am driving down the Grapevine I see that ominous haze from the city. I also notice a night and day difference between San Francisco/San Diego air quality versus Los Angeles air. Here in Sacramento, the air quality is pretty bad lately due to the constant fires going and since we are in a valley, the air is fairly hot with poor circulation in the summer. Traffic is terrible in both LA and SF, so I can see why having the vespa is a great idea.
Hey Aika! I also noticed this transition when I moved out of LA. During the nighttime, the freeways operate at a 'normal' pace, but all hell breaks loose in the morning. I found myself traveling for 1-1.5 hours everyday on a commute that would take around 25 mins in any other city. So frustrating!
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