Shocking News: Americans Still Driving Solo
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.15.07
Notwithstanding higher gas prices, worries about global warming or peak oil, more Americans are driving alone to work than ever before. According to the Census Bureau, from 2000 to 2005 the share of people driving alone to work increased to 77%. More recent statistics indicate that little has changed even with 3 buck gas.
For most suburban commuters, "it's very hard to find someone to ride with, and it's very hard to find public transportation," said Alan Pisarski, author of "Commuting in America." "There aren't always a lot of options for people."
Car pooling has dropped and transit use is stable at only 4.7% of the population. AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom said commuters are willing to drive more fuel-efficient autos but are loath to give up the keys entirely, regardless of gas prices. He said many people equate carpooling and mass transit with "a decline in their personal standard of living. The freedom of mobility that comes with the use of a personal automobile is something we are very, very reluctant to give up as individuals," Sundstrom said. Of course, he is from the AAA and gets paid to spout such drivel. ::MSNBC
have you read the book Suburban Nation??
And WHY do people not think that public transit and car-sharing (and other sustainable transportation options) aren't examples of high standards of living? Because we tell people they aren't! Start spending time and money telling people about all the hip, smart, fun, and high-status reasons that choosing sustainable transportation gives you a higher quality of life, and people will choose sustainable transportation options. Car companies spend billions of dollars on promoting the "cool factor" for cars, and so people become convinced that cars are cool. Take aways that advertising (how about a ban on car ads, like we ban cigarette and alcohol ads?) and instead spend some money and time crafting messages to promote sustainable transportation choices, and the public will happily choose sustainable travel and commuting because they honestly want to.
That will only work for the vain and shallow type of people. I could give a rats ass if I'm hip or cool. By car it take me 15 minutes to get to work. By bus it would take probably an hour. A little longer is ok, but that's way too much.
"instead spend some money and time crafting messages to promote sustainable transportation choices, and the public will happily choose sustainable travel and commuting because they honestly want to."
By bus it would take me 45 minutes to get to work. I'd carpool but nobody from work lives nearby. We'd spend time and energy getting to each others houses. Unless you carpooled to a park and ride, it wouldn't save any gas or time.
Personally, I think my solution is one of the best. Getting 80mpg on a scooter is the same per person as four people in one car getting 20mpg, and I can still run errands during lunch. Rain and snow are a bit of a problem, though.
I work 60 miles from home, there is no pubic transportation between the two, and I haven't found anyone that lives anywhere near me that also works anywhere near me. I have no option. I drive an efficient car. That's the best I can do.
Why don't all of you move closer to your jobs or find jobs closer to where you work
Turil wrote:
"And WHY do people not think that public transit and car-sharing (and other sustainable transportation options) aren't examples of high standards of living? Because we tell people they aren't!"
Nonsense. I took public transit for years to commute to work, and hated every stinking minute of it. Nowadays I love my drive to work. I don't carpool or rideshare because I relish my alone time. The hassle of dealing with one or more other people's schedules isn't worth the cost saving. I've got my stereo, my coffee, and my phone, in case I actually do want to hear someone else yammering -- which I seldom do.
"Start spending time and money telling people about all the hip, smart, fun, and high-status reasons that choosing sustainable transportation gives you a higher quality of life, and people will choose sustainable transportation options.
You've got to be joking. But I'll tell you what, why don't you spend some of your own time and money telling people how groovy and "hip" it is to ride public transit. Knock yourself out.
"Car companies spend billions of dollars on promoting the "cool factor" for cars, and so people become convinced that cars are cool."
Yeah, in other words, anyone who percieves things differently from you, must be some stupid, easily manipulated robot. That's a pretty arrogant attitude. No car company has to tell me that I prefer to drive my own wheels over taking the bus. I figured that out all on my own. My ride wasn't just some sort of stupid impulse purchase -- and I've never regretted it.
"Take aways that advertising (how about a ban on car ads, like we ban cigarette and alcohol ads?) and instead spend some money and time crafting messages to promote sustainable transportation choices, and the public will happily choose sustainable travel and commuting because they honestly want to."
Yes, that might work if your fellow-citizens were all just a bunch of dumb sheep, like you obviously seem to think we are. Good luck with your social engineering project. It'll probably be just as sucessful as all the others which preceeded it.
"I drive an efficient car. That's the best I can do."
You can certainly do better than that. 120 miles a day is a pretty long commute. Here are some ideas I can think of...
-- Follow Icelander's example and ride an efficient 4-stroke two-wheeler to work
-- Better still, get an electric two-wheeler.
-- Or convert your gas engine to an electric. If you can charge it at work, range wouldn't be an issue.
-- Look for work close to your home.
-- Or move close to your work.
-- If much of your job involves the computer and the phone, try convincing your company for letting you work from home as an experiment. Lets say two days a week?
-- Offset your car's emissions by buying TerraPass.
-- Look for creative ways for finding a carpool partner such as putting up an ad on Craigslist (you'll recover the amount within the first week)
There's so much you can do. Stop feeling helpless and do something!
I also like Turil's idea of banning ads for cars that run on internal combustion engine, which would mean most cars. How the media and automakers project cars is certainly part of the problem.
I tried to take the bus to work but they cancelled the route the day the job began.
So I carpooled for three years with different people at my university; it was not only cheaper for both of us, it was nice, they said, to have company in the car.
Now the bus has been re-scheduled after several years of complaints, so I can take it in. Yes, it is slow, but in nice weather, it gets there in time. In winter, I will continue with the carpool.
I deliberately chose to live in a building that is within walking or bicycling distance of everything I need. For sightseeing, I carpool with the neighbours.
I don't own a car, don't want one, and never liked spending a fortune on it when I did. I think that the private auto is one of the biggest con jobs of the last century. You become a slave to the machine.