I usually read on the bus, but sometimes I stare out the window. The other day I saw someone with what appeared to be a rather upset look on their face as the bus merged into their lane, ahead of their car. (Mind you, buses have the right of way and although people rarely seem to notice, there is a “Yield to bus” sign on the back left portion of the bus”). I can not know for sure what was on her mind. However, this got me thinking about the relationship between buses and cars.
I’ve written about the feeling of superiority when the bus goes on the HOV lane and the people in their cars, by themselves, are struck in traffic below. I’ve also undertaken a study of sorts looking at the prevalence of single occupant drivers in the morning from the vantage point of my bus stop (coming soon). This woman’s reaction got me thinking about how many more cars there would be on the road if it weren’t for those bus riders who do their part to keep the roads just a bit less congested by essentially carpooling. The need for extra (and wider) roads can be minimized by the mass transit riders. Perhaps the next time someone gets all geeked up about being “cut off” by the bus, they should thank the bus for keeping thousands of potential cars off the road each and everyday. Wouldn’t that be a nice change of pace.
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