My Des Moines Commute

As I cannot drive (see Rob's OWI Weekend), I have been inclined to explore the public transportation system in Des Moines, IA. This issue (public transportation) has been on the political register hotlist for some time, yet it remains underdeveloped in most mid-sized American cities. Des Moines is not in any way a "walkable" city, thus most of its inhabitants use personal automobiles for transportation.

The bus system in Des Moines is not as comprehensive as bus systems in other cities, nor is service as frequent. However, I am impressed with the core bus lines which run through the city limits; suburbs are not legitimate communities so their access to public transportation is not important. My office at the Alliance for Retired Americans is 6.5 miles from my house, and the nearest bus stop is about 4 blocks from my house. I ride my bike to the bus stop, which takes approximately 3 minutes, and my arrival bus stop is equidistant from my workplace, requiring similar bike time.

Des Moines, following the model of many progressive public transportation systems, has bike racks on all of its buses, which makes it easy for me to utilize supplementary transportation (walking from bus stop to bus stop would perhaps double the commute). It's great; I ride-I get on-I get off. The total commute takes just under 40 minutes. This may seem like a lot of time since Des Moines is so small, but comparatively, it's great! To travel the same distance in the New York metro area would take over an hour. Bottom line- I encourage you, my fellow Americans, to utilize public transportation in your community. You will not only save on insurance/car payments but you will also reduce pollution and improve an incipient industry in your community. Now if only the Des Moines bus would run past 8:00 pm...