I’ve been taking Metro for years but it wasn’t until this week when I was thinking about what to write in this blog that I’ve really paid attention to who uses it.
I think Metro is unique in that people don’t mind riding it, and they find it fairly useful. In many other cities, such as New York, the subway system is very extensive, but people instead choose to use other forms of transportation. For some reason I’m unaware of (I’ve only been on it once myself) many people elect to take cabs around New York, despite the fact that the subway is faster and cheaper. In other cities, such as Los Angeles, people rarely use the Metro system, because although it is available, it does not reach many parts of the city and is often confusing. Most people find that simply driving is much more convenient.
In DC, however, Metro is wonderful. It goes almost everywhere in the cities and reaches most bordering areas, it’s relatively cheap (compared to most subway systems,) and it’s easy to use. Something I’ve noticed, which I attribute to this convenience, is that Metro riders seem to consist of a population that reflects very well on the people who live in the DC area. People of all backgrounds, races, and socioeconomic classes regularly use Metro as one of their primary forms of transportation. Those of us who have lived in the area for a while tend to take Metro for granted, but I am personally fascinated by how something as trivial as a system of transportation fits into a city like DC and becomes part of it.
Tags: diversity, Metro, population, Washington DC
