by Nolan Levenson
In early February, infamous public transit consultant Jarrett Walker of Human Transit fame, gave a talk in New York City called “Abundant Access: Public Transit as an Instrument of Freedom.” The event drew in numerous transportation enthusiasts who listened to his practical and convincing argument about the benefits of public transportation, particularly enhanced bus transit service.
A question arose about a hot topic in urban planning: the “millenials.” An MTA (the regional authority that operates public transit in NYC) representative noted that a recent survey suggested that “millenials” prefer rail transit over bus transit. In their “20 Year Needs Assessment,” the MTA suggests what the rest of the world theorizes: that young people like cities and don’t like to drive. This is great news for urbanists and environmentalists. For the MTA, however, this means increasing pressure on an already strained network, and apparently this increased demand won’t use buses.
This conclusion is not exclusive to New York City. It is an argument often used to justify investing in the much more costly rail infrastructure in cities across the country. Attracting young people is an essential part of an urban revitalization strategy. I would argue, however, that these city-saving millennials are simply making a rational economic choice, rather than getting drawn in by sexy condos and streetcars. They choose a city and housing based on their job. A recent Atlantic Cities article noted that 54% of millenials still live in suburbs (compared to 32% who live in cities), indicating that a drastic shift of young people moving to cities may not be the complete story.
The MTA’s survey is inherently flawed. Ask any New Yorker about whether they prefer the subway or bus, and they will likely tell you the subway. This is not true because they are young or that they love cities and trains, it’s simply the fastest, most cost-effective way to get around. Those who prefer the bus, such as the elderly or handicapped, likely choose the bus because the bus is easier for them to use—many subway stations are not accessible for these populations.
Buses, if they moved people rapidly to desired locations, would perhaps be just as desirable as the subway. Segregated lanes in a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system are one way to achieve this—many systems around the world are so popular that they are over-capacity (e.g. the Transmilenio in Bogota, Colombia). Select Bus Service, NYCDOT, and MTA’s take on BRT, has improved bus speeds on heavily trafficked routes at little cost. The advantage of buses is that they can be implemented quickly, especially compared to rail transit projects.
The same holds true for the “urbanization” conclusion. Why are young people choosing to live in cities? Cities have jobs for young professionals. In many cities (although not New York) the cost of living is low and even lower without a car. So, if you can get by on transit and have cheap rent, while having a good amount of activity around you, why would you not make that choice? It comes down to simple, common, economic sense. In New York City, owning a car is often a large economic burden, especially for young people in the midst of developing their careers.
The danger in grouping millenials into one box is that policy, planning, and infrastructure decisions may be made on bad, oversimplified information without a real understanding of what is driving personal choice. In transportation planning, decision-makers may overlook Bus Rapid Transit and street redesign projects, which can achieve similar mobility goals to rail projects without the expense and time constraints.
Hear more from Nolan on Twitter at @nolanlevenson
Kalaidis, J. (2014). Why I Miss the Suburbs. Atlantic Cities. Retrieved from http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2014/02/why-i-miss-suburbs/8489/