Every weekday, Port Authority's buses and rail cars keep thousands of cars off the road.

Next time you drive downtown during the morning rush hour, count the number of buses you see along the way. When you get to work, multiply that number by, say, 40 – the average number of riders per bus. Then imagine what your daily commute would be like with thousands more cars jammed bumper-to-bumper on the road. All competing for the same limited parking spaces when they finally get downtown.

On the plus side, you'd have lots more time to sit and think about a solution. Like doubling or tripling the number of lanes feeding into downtown. Or knocking down a few dozen buildings to clear some space for parking lots.

How does public transit impact your daily life? Well, if you're a typical commuter you spend the equivalent of eight full workdays sitting in traffic. How much more time would you spend stuck in traffic if even a portion of daily Port Authority commuters had to suddenly start driving their own cars to work? From the Parkway to the parking lot, public transit makes a huge difference in your life. Every day.