I came across a stunning comparison the other day between commutes in London and San Francisco. The map below shows the distance one can travel in 90 minutes by public transport in both cities. The coverage in London is vast compared to San Francisco.
San Francisco needs to gets a bit of free pass because they have to navigate a large bay in a way that London doesn’t. However, the lack of public transport infrastructure and long commute times are a consistent theme I hear from friends and colleagues in San Francisco.
Great public transport infrastructure is one of those “plant a tree 30 years ago so you can sit in its shade today” type things.
More than the commutes of Londoners versus Northern Californians, this map communicates to me decisions made decades ago that still impact millions of people every day.
