Doing the Math

Do you remember word problems? You know, like this:

Oh, how I loathed them.  The more difficult the math got, the more I hated them. I was definitely one of those kids who saw no possible use for math in my future. My mother used to say, “Some day you may need to buy a rug and you will need to figure out the dimensions.” 

I allowed as how that might be true but I was certainly never going to need to determine the behavior of trains.

Train A heads north at an average speed of 95 miles per hour, leaving its station at the precise moment as another train, Train B, departs a different station, heading south at an average speed of 110 miles per hour. If these trains are inadvertently placed on the same track and start exactly 1,300 miles apart, how long until they collide?

I am here today to announce, before God and these witnesses, that I have found a word problem that I am interested in. Finally. As shocking as this is, you won’t be surprised that I found it on Twitter.
 

I figured out earlier it's actually cheaper to go to Tyson's in Virginia to go shopping than it would be to go to Columbia Mall (because there's no convenient transit from Baltimore to Columbia).

I looked at Uber and from my house to Columbia it was $36.00.

EACH WAY.

MARC round trip for two people to DC would be $36.00. Plus maybe $20 for the Metro, so $56.00 vs $72.00. Ridiculous.

Even spending $56 is ridiculous but at least you can make a day of it and do other stuff that isn't at the mall.

This post by someone I know (and used with permission) grabbed my attention. It appealed to me because I spent a good while living in Baltimore without a car. I remember what that was like. I also have vivid memories of bringing a piece of flat-pack furniture home from the Quakerbridge Mall in New Jersey on the bus when I lived in Princeton.

So, what does the math tell us? If you live in Baltimore and don’t own a car, it would cost you 72 dollars by Uber to go the the Columbia Mall. On the other hand, you can get to DC and back via MARC train for 36 dollars. Add 20 dollars for the Metro and you are up to 56 dollars, tops.

Which trip is more expensive? Columbia. Which trip is less expensive and offers more choices? D.C./Tyson’s Corner. 

Why? Transportation.

Our culture is so car-centric that we are likely to forget about people who don’t have cars once we ourselves become drivers. We tend not to see how being car-less in a car-dominated world can add many layers of logistics and inconvenience. It stops being visible to us.

There are a variety of reasons that someone might not own a car:

• Cost
• Lack of parking near home 
• Environmental concerns
• Disability
• Desire to live a car-free life

This does not eliminate their need to:

• Buy food
• Go to the doctor
• Visit the library
• Access restaurants and entertainment
• Shop
• Go to school
• Visit family and friends

The distance from Baltimore to Columbia is 19.7 miles. The distance from Baltimore to Tyson’s Corner is 48.7 miles. What makes the trip to Columbia prohibitively expensive? It’s not the distance. It’s a lack of convenient public transportation. When I lived in Connecticut it was easy to hop a train and make the trip to New Haven or NYC. (And many smaller stops in between.) 

It’s not such a crazy thought - - wanting local train service. Yes, it takes public investment but its benefits are many. The existing bus service between Baltimore and Columbia is aimed at commuters and, as such, its hours are quite limited. 

Discussions on improving Baltimore-Columbia transit options often get bogged down by objections rooted in racism. “We don’t want those people here.” This isn’t just a local phenomenon. It pops up all too frequently in areas where transit would connect a relatively affluent suburban area with a less affluent urban area.

Perhaps we should just check IDs outside the Mall. If you’re from Baltimore you can enter only with a responsible local chaperone.

The absence of convenient, reliable Baltimore/Columbia transit service limits people in Columbia/HoCo, as well. This is not just a one-way street. Such a connection would be valuable for work, shopping, entertainment, and more. You wouldn’t have to worry about parking, or driving after drinks with dinner. 

At the end of the day, my friend is probably going to choose a trip that is less expensive and allows her to use more of her discretionary dollars on shopping, dining, and entertainment, rather than see them siphoned away on travel expenses. Wouldn’t you?

This is one math problem that ought to have a better answer,