Driving Culture

Lately I've been encountering the driving culture.  Yes, drivers have a different culture than those of us on public transportation.  Drivers pay little attention to time and distance when it comes to local venues.  MARTA runs from around 4:30 a.m. to midnight or 1:00 a.m. so technically we're more fortunate than many of my bus bound friends. 

Just because the bus is running at midnight is no reason for a 16-year-old girl to be on one at that hour.  Even though I told Andrea to make sure her new employer knows she is on MARTA they still scheduled he to close some nights.  If she takes the bus around 10:30 at night she'd get home around midnight.  No regard for the time it takes to get anywhere on public transportation. 

My neighbor and I usually picked Andrea up from work when she closed.  One rainy night my neighbor told me she couldn't pick Andrea up because she was sick.  She sounded terrible.  Only problem, Andrea was scheduled to get off in half an hour.  I couldn't go get her because it takes about an hour and a half to get there on a week night.  This was a Saturday night and buses and trains don't run as often.  To make a long story short, a co-worker and his dad brought her home. 

One Sunday Andrea's boss called to see if Andrea could come in to work right now.  She needed her for only three hours.  She should have called somebody who lives close by or someone who drives.  Spending the same amount of time commuting as working is rediculous. 

Today one of Andrea's co-workers came to visit.  He said he had to be at work by one.  His dad dropped him off but he'd planned on taking MARTA to work.  So he and Andrea are looking at the schedule trying to decide what time he needs to leave.  He said no to the 10:37 because, "I don't have to be there until one."  He decides the 11:07 looks good and goes on with his visit.  At 10:55 I tell him I don't mean to get rid of him but he'd better hustle if he's going to catch that bus.  He said he'll call his dad to come get him later because he had been here only a short time.  We live a ten minute drive from work. 

The missionaries and a Ward member came to visit one evening.  The missionaries asked me about my New Year's Resolutions.  I mentioned getting more photographic ideas.  The ward member seemed ashtonshed because there are all thee mountains around here.  I reminded (or told) them that no MARTA buses go into the mountains.  No bus even goes into Stone Mountain park.  No knowledge of where a person can get on public transportation. 

If I could be Queen for a day I'd declare a car free Month.  Everybody would have to take public transportation or stay home.  Then the general public would be conscious of it limitations and by extension its riders limitations.