Buses, light rail, an electric wheelchair, and a newly modified car How do Americans move through their cities" Here at Curbed, we?re super curious about the transportation habits of regular folks. So, using a diary format, we?re asking real people to track their multimodal journeys for a week and report back with the highs and lows of what it takes to get around town.
Steven L. Patterson is a longtime resident of St. Louis, Missouri, where he?s the author of Urban Review Saint Louis, covering public policy, urban planning, and local politics. He?s also a stroke survivor. In 2008, Patterson was found by a friend about 12 hours after he?d had a hemorrhagic stroke. When he returned home almost three months later, he was barely able to walk. In addition to his urban design musings, Patterson tracks how he gets around the city at @UrbanReviewSTL, where he points out accessibility issues, including subpar curb ramps. Here?s how Patterson navigates St. Louis in his multimodal Transit Diary.
Monday, March 19
My husband David and I set our alarm for 5:20 a.m. rather than 6 a.m since we both need to leave by 7 a.m. for a 16-mile drive from downtown into the suburbs. We?re headed to United Access, which sells wheelchair vehicles and adaptive mods such as hand controls, to add upgrades to our new car.
I?ve been comfortable driving since I first got back behind the wheel in 2008. At that time I bought a Toyota Corolla. After I got comfortable using transit, I sold the car. A...