what cities have the BEST AND WORST pub. transportation?

i'm thinking of relocating, i'm in Jersey -- what places have the best and worst public transporation system? i hate driving and don't wanna drive my car....does anyone take pub. trans. for work - how is it? name some cities that would be good to relocate to....

Public Comments

1. Not sure about the "worst" but I know that transportation is great here in Chicago. Many people who live within the city limits, and a few of the closer surrounding suburbs, don't even own cars because it's so easy to get around without one due to the efficient bus and rail system.
2. Hey, not sure if this will help, but you can go to www.city-data.com, they have info on all towns in US. You could probably also search best and worst public transit in US. Good luck !
3. I used to live in Chicago and its great for public transportation. I didnt own a car for three years. The El tracks are great to access and use. NYC would be very similar and San Francisco's bus and street car system works very well.
4. New York City has the best public transportation system in the United States. Not only is the system the largest, but it also runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and includes Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. NYC boasts the highest percentage of commuters who do not drive to work and routinely has been ranked as the city most able to withstand increase in gas prices. In addition to NYC, Jersey City and Hoboken in New Jersey connect to NYC by the Port Authority subway PATH system, which is also a 24/7 transportation system. Outside of New York, few American cities allow for a car free lifestyle in the way that New York and the metropolitan area allows for. A few alternatives include Boston and metro area, although the subway and commuter rail is not 24 hours a day and a high percentage of locals travel by car. Philadelphia, within the city proper also has an extensive mass transit network and connects to the Northeast Corridor for travel between New York and Washington. Metro area around Denver Colorado is in the process of building an extensive transportation network of light rail, commuter rail, and dedicated bus lanes. However, the system is still at present under construction. There are a number of large cities that are deceptively un-car friendly. Chicago and Washington D.C. both have commuter subway systems but neither are places where people can live a car free lifestyle. For instance, Washington has a number of neighborhoods that are not connected to the subway and because of building hight restrictions, D.C. is not particularly dense. Dense communities lend themselves to mass transit. Also in these cities, while taxi cabs can supplement the car-less, most people will want to own a car even if they take mass transit to work because non-commuting activities like shopping require cars. Finally, while mostly I've talked about urban transportation, if you are looking for a suburban style community, consider developments that bill themselves as "new urbanist" communities. While New Ubranism is not an official standard, most communities are designed as pedestrian friendly, all inclusive neighborhoods that include small offices, retail shops, and housing clustered around the 'downtown.' One of the more famous communities is Seaside, Florida. Seaside is a planned community built around a town center; all the houses are within walking distance of main street and also of the ocean beach.
5. Best public transportation: New York, Chicago, Washington, DC. I've also lived in Milwaukee & Rochester, NY. I don't drive so I'm DEPENDANT on public transit. That means that whenever I relocate, my primary objective is to find location with easy access to public transit. If you keep this at the top of your list of priorities when looking for places to live and work, you should be ok. IMO: The bigger the city, the better! Smaller cities have a tendancey to shut down at night when everybody commutes out to the burbs! As a general rule of thumb, I'd say avoid cities with a population of less than 1 million! .