Instead of a 45-minute or hourlong bus ride with numerous stops, the City Circuit does a quick loop from lots right at the edge of the city. State, New Castle County and Wilmington officials should look for ways to exploit this by designating more commuter parking on the city's rim, with shuttles to city center. There is no reason why all commuters who work downtown should have to park there. MBNA, which runs a private bus service from Ogletown to its Rodney Square headquarters, proves that daily. But the MBNA shuttle is a company perk.
Public transit has to try harder.
Making it possible for commuters to drive to the city's edge before switching to transit will almost surely increase the number willing to do so. Meanwhile, the people planning the Market Street trolley, being designed primarily to shuttle tourists between riverfront attractions and a rejuvenated downtown commercial district, should include commuters in their plans. If they build that trolley, it is likely more commuters will use it than tourists. A drunk driving law that leaks like a sieve is quite another. Thanks to a Supreme Court ruling, Delaware's DUI law has a huge hole in it.