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Boston Is The Best U.S. City To Live Without A Car – Why This List Is BS

By Pebbles

If you live in Boston and don’t have a car, apparently there’s nothing to worry about. Boston has just been named The Best U.S. City To Live Without A Car. This is according to a study by CoworkingCafe, that puts Boston in the #1 spot. Listen, it’s great to be #1. Bostonians have a lot of pride. But this list, or at least Boston’s part in it, is complete BS.

Tell me about this study – The best U.S. city to live without a car

The people at Coworking Cafe analyzed data from 331 U.S. Cities. All these cities had a population of more than 100,000. Here are the metrics they used.

  • Share of the adult population that uses public transportation
  • Share of the adult population that prefers to walk
  • Share of the adult population that prefers to bike
  • Share of the adult population that commutes using cabs, motorcycles, or other similar vehicles
  • The density of public transit stations per square mile
  • The average price of an adult base fare on public transportation

Each city was then given a total score out of a possible 100 points.

Some of the main outcomes

Before we get to how Boston got to #1, lets see how some of the others cities made the list. New York City made the list because of the large number of people that use public transportation. Eugene, OR and San Francisco, CA both have high bike lane density. And Washington, D.C. has a high density of coworking space.

So why call BS on these results? Read on for more on The best U.S. city to live without a car.

  • Boston, MA - 57.2 points

    The reason Boston was named #1 is because 28% of the population uses public transit. There’s a high density of stations, which means that most residents live near a bus or train stop. Here’s where they lose me, “At the same time, the low number of breakdowns and mechanical failures among public transit vehicles makes the system here a highly reliable one.” What??? Who did they talk to? Do they not know the issues the MBTA has had, including a train catching fire and having people jump out of the window and into the water??? And this is just one of many issues the T is facing.

  • Newark, NJ – Total Points: 55.3

    “Newark’s public transportation is a great alternative to commuting by car. Plus, residents can easily access different means of public transit as the city boasts the highest station density among all of the locations in our study with almost 10 per square mile.” Coworking Cafe

  • New York City, NY – Total Points: 54.6

    “Almost half of New Yorkers use some sort of means of public transportation to commute within and around the city — the highest share among 331 U.S. cities. Of course, accessibility plays a large role here, as New York City ranked third in terms of station density with more than two of them available per square mile and a whopping 16,000 total number of stops.”  Coworking Cafe

  • Washington, D.C. – Total Points: 51

    “The high number and even distribution of coworking spaces come in handy for many workers who need a flexible workspace near their home, therefore shortening their commute — whether that is usually achieved by car or other means of transportation.”

    Coworking Cafe

  • San Francisco, CA – Total Points: 48.7

    “San Francisco also came in fifth in terms of taxi or motorcycle usage: almost 4% of its population relies on these means of transportation. Alternatively, residents in San Francisco can always choose to bike around their areas of choice as the city had the highest bike lane density in the nation (on par in this category with Eugene, OR). This means that most residents have quick access to a solid cycling infrastructure that connects them to various areas of the city.”

    Coworking Cafe

  • Philadelphia, PA – Total Points: 42

    “While the city ranked high in multiple relevant metrics, it was the density of bus, metro and train stations that placed it so high on our list. More precisely, Philadelphia earned the nation’s fourth spot in this category with more than two stations per square mile, making it easy for its residents to use any means of public transportation, regardless of their location in the city.”

    Coworking Cafe

  • Seattle, WA – Total Points: 41.3

    “Many residents in Seattle prefer to walk for their commute as a large share of the population chooses to take a stroll and enjoy the fresh air, rather than opting for a car. This might also have to do with Seattle’s large number of parks and high accessibility to them, which was one of the key metrics that pushed the city to the very top of a recent ranking regarding the best U.S. cities for pets and their owners.”

    Coworking Cafe

  • Oakland, CA – Total Points: 39.5

    “Known for its excellent public transportation system, Oakland connects the Bay Area to other key areas in and around the city through a great infrastructure of buses and subways. Here, the Mass Transit Oakland makes it easy for residents to move around due to it being a hub for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART). “

    Coworking Cafe

  • Madison, WI – Total Points: 38.2

    “Madison ranked high in terms of bike usage. In this case, it was supported by the city’s bike lane density, which was one of the highest among the 331 cities in our ranking.”

    Coworking Cafe

  • Pittsburgh, PA – Total Points: 37.8

    “Pittsburgh is yet another Pennsylvania city where workers have plenty of options to choose from for their commutes. In particular, residents here appear to prefer walking as the city ranked high in this category. And, for workers who need a flexible workspace close to their homes, Pittsburgh also ranked high in terms of coworking space density with almost nine available per 100,000 residents.”

    Coworking Cafe

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