We recently moved to a suburban area of a Polish city. One of the criteria for the home we rented was that there needed to be public transit connectivity to the city center so we can commute by bus there for school.
The house we found to rent is near a direct line to the school (bingo!) and it was interesting to also navigate the experience of emphasizing to the real estate agent how critical that public transit connectivity is for our decision. He did a good job.
Riding the bus into the city and back to the burbs and observing who is often sitting at bus stops, it’s overwhelmingly clear that there are two demographics that heavily rely on public transit here: seniors and youth.
Earlier this year, before summer break began, I would see the city bus stops completely crowded with school youth, and on any regular day, you can observe largely seniors waiting at bus stops too.
I’ve lived in multiple suburban contexts – both in European countries and the USA- where public transit connectivity was not present or reliable, obviously leading to increased car dependence. For demographics who don’t want to or cannot drive, this also means increased reliance on those who do drive to be able to move around.
I recall going to a salon in the first suburb I lived in in Poland and chatting with the owner. She herself loved living in the area, but reflected that her teenage girls didn’t because the public transit connectivity wasn’t good, and they had to rely on their (busy working) mom to chauffeur them everywhere.
It’s great to be in another suburban environment (in the very same country) where public transit to the suburbs is prioritized, and to see how busy and practical the service is.
Yesterday, my daughter and I headed into the city midday, and the bus was about 1/4 full when we got on (we are one of the last stops,) but progressively filled up as we headed into the city.
Photo: My youngest child riding a cycle in the city center. She is currently learning to ride and this was the first day we also boarded the bus with the bike
-Annika