Growing up in California, I've experienced the full gamut of public transit options. My hometown is outside of San Francisco, a city that I adore, but that causes my heart to go into palpitations when I have drive there. On the flip side, I lived, worked and studied for 4 years in Los Angeles County, where it once took me 3 and half hours to travel the 30 miles from my home in Long Beach to work in Glendale.

As I've aged, driving on San Francisco's winding streets has become less daunting, but all things considered, I'd rather take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from the East Bay and save myself the headache of getting lost and looking for a parking space. Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, when the Bay Bridge deck had fallen and double-decker freeways had pancaked, BART was the only sane option for stranded residents to get from one side of San Francisco Bay to the other.

When I visit L.A., that option simply isn't available. With the exception of the small subway line in downtown, I'm forced to stew in my car on clogged freeways, wasting time I'd prefer to spend with friends. And when the Northridge 'quake struck, one damaged freeway turned Los Angeles County highways into snarled parking lots.

As global warming continues to become a worry, what better way to save some time, relax a little and keep pollution out of the skies of Hampton Roads than riding light rail.

So, I for one, can't wait for the Tide to roll in.