Transportation. We all hate it, but we all really need it.
So I used to be a commuter, I'm talking 100 miles a day, so I know that I definitely negatively impacted my community by driving my diesel vehicle up and down the freeway.
Now I take BART, which stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit. Taking the BART means that I get more exercise. I drive a lot less, but it feels as though I spend more money commuting. The commute is short and sweet on some days, and drastic on others, but overall I feel a lot better being on the train than driving. The BART does have a lot of noise pollution and they are working on lessening it to a bearable level. Noise pollution is something I'm fairly new to understanding, but it can directly cause hypertension, sleep disturbances and hearing loss. So I am glad that the BART is taking a stand against that.
I also take BART for my commute and I understand what you mean about the noise pollution and how drastic and terrible the commute can feel on days when the BART is even more overcrowded that usual (every day lol) and when the schedule is messed up and there are delays (basically every day lol). I also think the noise pollution is a huge issue and I see the signs on the BART trains about how they are working to reduce the squeaking, but it is still really bad in my opinion. Additionally, I am SO upset by the outrageous cost of BART, especially given what terrible service they normally provide. It is a regressive tax on the poor to continue to raise the price of public transportation. Especially when the BART does not run nearly enough and is almost always so overcrowded we are packed in together standing shoulder to shoulder. I really think there needs to be a tax on all the giant companies in San Francisco to subsidize the cost of BART for all of us who have to commute to work there everyday and also to expand the number of trains and their frequency so it is a reasonable way to commute that is actually somewhat predictable. Although I am happy I don't drive because of the pollution, I am still very unhappy with my BART commute.
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