My Kind of Transit: Rethinking Public Transportation

by Darrin Nordahl

In My Kind of Transit , Darrin Nordahl argues that like life itself, transportation isn't only about the destination, but the journey. Public transit reduces traffic and pollution, yet few of us are willing to get out of our cars and onto subways and buses. But Nordahl demonstrates that when using public transit is an enjoyable experience, tourists and commuters alike willingly hand in their keys. The trick is creating a system that isn't simply a poor imitation of the automobile, but offers its own pleasures and comforts. While a railway or bus will never achieve the quiet solitude of a personal car, it can provide, much like a well-designed public park, an inviting, communal space. My Kind of Transit is an animated tour of successful transportation systems, offering smart, commonsense analysis of what makes transit fun. Nordahl draws on examples like the iconic street cars of New Orleans and the picturesque cable cars in San Francisco, illustrating that the best transit systems are uniquely tailored to their individual cities. He also describes universal principles of good transit design. 
 
Nordahl's humanistic treatment will help planners, designers, transportation professionals, and policymakers create transit systems the public actually wants to ride. And it will introduce all readers to delightful ways of getting from point A to point B. 

Genres: Transport, Nonfiction, Urban Planning, Urbanism

176 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2008

Reviews

[Jeramey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely easy read at 150 pages, and packed with a few insights into how transit vehicles should be designed. Overall, the book seems a bit too far away from mainstream transit systems, and sticks with largely tourist-dominated systems.

Would be curious to hear what the author thinks of the Portland Aerial Tram.

[Rory H · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very different perspective on public transportation than other books I've read. This book focuses on making public transportation pleasant and enjoyable for the rider. It utilizes a lot of real-world examples, and outlines specifically different ways transit systems succeed or fail at this. I feel the book could have spent more time acknowledging other aspects of a good transit system and how these could work together with enjoyment. Still, cool book, and I liked the different perspective.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This quick read gives you a sense of "beautiful" transit options in the US and makes the argument that transit options need to be pleasant enough to compete with the luxuries of a private automobile. The author examines a number of ways to think about the experience of riding transit – many buses have windows that are hard to see out of if you're standing which makes the ride less attractive, for instance, or that it's uninviting or a pedestrian to get on a bus with opaque windows.

Unfortunately, the book goes into downsides of different aesthetic options not at all. Because of that, the book provides some interesting ideas, but fails to put them into a useful context.

[Wyatt White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant nothingburger