Traffic
John Seabrook points out why I ride public transit: for about a thousand dollars a year, I get to and from destinations without having to worry what traffic is going to be like because a) I'm not the one driving and b) if the traffic's bad, at least I have a book to read. Of course, I'm at the mercy of the transit schedule, and a fickle beast it can sometimes be. But for the price I pay—in terms of time and smelliness of other passengers—I get to where I need to be cheaply—in money terms—while finishing off a chapter.
