[W. K. Lis]

I would like to direct you to Stephen Rees's Blog and his article and another link to Car Myth, Car Realities: An Anthropology of Americans and their Automobiles by Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez.

I won't copy most of the article, you can link to it and see for yourself. I'll just quote some points below.

There is in the US a massive government policy preference for cars. There are now

• 250,000,000 cars and light trucks
• more cars than drivers
• 91% of households own a vehicle
• 3,000,000,000 miles are driven annually
• Each person spends 18½hrs are spent in the car per week (equivalent to a part-time job)
• 162,000 gas stations
• 750,000,000 parking spaces

For me, I notice that there are more parking spaces than there are vehicles.

The talk examined five myths of car ownership

1. cars make financial sense
2. cars are safe
3. cars are more comfortable than other modes
4. cars make me an individual
5. cars provide opportunity – economic especially – “people without cars are losers”.

Cars are a lot like guns: ”Try to pry my steering wheel out of my cold dead hands!”

People tend to focus on the price of gas vs the price of a train ticket (for example). The obsession with gas prices means that people do not tend to look at the entire cost of a car which is $8,000 per annum, of which gas $1,581.

We believe that kids are safer if we drive them rather than allow them to use transit and a car with the right air filter can protect us from air pollution. However the reality is that for people aged 3 to 34 the car is the No 1 killer. The rates of fatalities have remained remarkably steady over number of years but the number of severe collisions increased because we drive so much more. In 2008/9 the roads got safer because we drove less.

Research shows that people with long [car] commutes are unhappier – and so are their spouses – and it is the unpredictability of commute time that drives us mad.

When people paid cash for cars it was a fair marker of social class. These days people want to believe that their car matches their personality. The car is an accurate self expression for around 40% of drivers: the others said they can’t afford “the car that is really me”.

Cars are in reality the most significant factor in inequality: transportation takes a proportionately bigger bite of the income of the poor. At the edge of car ownership many are just one car repair or parking ticket away from carlessness. The poor are subject to higher rates for loans, dealer fraud, and insurance rates by zipcode.

Two Americans have a new book aimed at Americans. Our problems may be similar, but we heard not one word about Canada until the audience spoke. Even then I found it laughable that Torontonians love the TTC! In my experience in every city where I have been, transit users are always highly critical of their own transit system and especially the body that runs it.

 

[CityPainter]

Great link, I hadn't heard of this book even though it came out back in January. I might have to break my "no hardcover" rule and pick up a copy. Although part of me wonders why: I'm already converted, but the reactions I receive from the vast majority of people when I explain that I voluntarily choose to be car free don't make me hopeful that the powerful spell automobiles hold over most of us will be broken any time soon.

I find the myth of cars as a source of freedom to be at odds with my personal experience. Mine was something of a ball and chain, and I've never felt more free than the day I no longer had to worry about all those expenses, insurance payments, repairs, gas costs, and so on. But going without a car requires a lifestyle change: if you absolutely "need" a suburban house and a backyard (as many claim to) then you will also be burdened with at least one car. Commuting by car made me miserable, but I read a study that said a surprising number of people actually claim to enjoy it: most said they liked the "alone time". Which makes me wonder about the quality of modern life as a whole.

Another good book which covers a similar topic from a slightly different perspective is Traffic: Why we Drive the Way We Do by Tom Vanderbilt. This book is eye-opening when it comes to the effect of cars on society as a whole, the psychology of driving and drivers, and the pointlessness of attempting to solve traffic woes by building more roads, widening existing roads, or adding more parking. Many facts in there seem counter-intuitive at first glance, but make sense when you think about them more (for example: "safer" roads that have wide straight lanes, big shoulders, bright lighting, well marked signage and smooth pavement actually claim more lives than "dangerous" roads that are narrow, winding, bumpy and dimly lit, because people drive much faster on the "safe" roads and pay less attention whilst doing so.)

 

[W. K. Lis]

You might be interested in this APTA study: Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits. Its in PDF from this link.

Residents Who Live Near Public Transportation Live Healthier, Longer Lives, Study Finds

A new report, released by the American Public Transportation Association, which surveys current research has found that people who live in communities with high-quality public transportation drive less, exercise more, live longer, and are generally healthier than residents of communities that lack quality public transit.

Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits, a study conducted for APTA by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute aggregates the findings of several recent studies and concludes that people living in transit-oriented “smart growth” communities enjoy several health benefits, not seen in other communities, including residents drive less, exposing them to a lower risk of fatal vehicle accidents.

Such communities also have less pollution, because public transportation produces far less emissions per passenger mile than private automobiles. In addition, people who live near quality public transit are more likely to undertake regular physical activity than residents of automobile-dependent communities.

“Public transportation enhances the overall quality of life of an individual and a community,” said APTA president William Millar. “Use of public transit simply means that you walk more which increases fitness levels and leads to healthier citizens. More importantly, increasing use of public transit may be the most effective traffic safety counter measure a community can employ.”

The APTA report notes, transportation activity also plays a role in lessening an individual’s risk in five of the 10 leading causes of reduced lifespan, as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recent CDC study evaluated causes of potential years of life lost, including cancer, heart disease, motor vehicle crashes, and other causes. For example, “Pollution contributes to cancer and congenital anomalies [birth defects], and sedentary living ... contributes to heart disease and strokes,” Litman wrote.

One solution is smart growth communities, according to Litman, who cited a 2003 study finding that urban residents had significantly lower violent death rates, whether from vehicle accidents or other causes.

Litman also noted that the 10 U.S. counties with the “smartest,” most transit-oriented growth have approximately one-fourth the traffic fatality rates as those counties with the most sprawling development. For example, the traffic fatality rate for the Bronx, NY was approximately four per 100,000 residents. However, for Miami, KS, the rate was almost 40 per 100,000.

Moreover, other recent studies have found that users of public transportation walk more than those who do not use public transit, regardless of income.

The health benefits of public transportation should be given greater consideration in transportation planning, Litman concluded. “A growing portion of households want to rely more on alternative modes and live in more accessible, multi-modal communities,” he wrote. “Accommodating this demand would provide benefits to users and society, including significant health benefits.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I find the myth of cars as a source of freedom to be at odds with my personal experience. Mine was something of a ball and chain, and I've never felt more free than the day I no longer had to worry about all those expenses, insurance payments, repairs, gas costs, and so on. But going without a car requires a lifestyle change: if you absolutely "need" a suburban house and a backyard (as many claim to) then you will also be burdened with at least one car. Commuting by car made me miserable, but I read a study that said a surprising number of people actually claim to enjoy it: most said they liked the "alone time".

My experience was the polar opposite. I've always lived downtown or in the Beach(es), yet have always worked in the 905. Before I had a car, the public transit commute was a nightmare of assorted TTC and Go Bus trips taking sometimes two hours or more to get from my job near the airport to my place at Kingston Rd and Vic Park. Once I bought my first car, my world opened up, road trips, super convenience, rapid arrival, etc. I never looked back. Now I live the downtown Toronto life with 5 bedroom Cabbagetown semi with two cars, and work in Markham. My drive to work is usually less than 40 min, drive home about the same. My cars are both reliable and fully paid off, so all I pay for is insurance and gas. My monthly gas and insurance cost on the two cars is about $200, less than the cost of two metropasses.

Now, I'm also a classic motorcyclist, and once you've done that, you really, really, have the sense of freedom that you may seek. Just yesterday I rode up the DVP/404 and then around Lake Simcoe, back down through the Rouge Valley above the zoo and home again. A really wonderful all day experience, all on $7 worth of gas.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Residents Who Live Near Public Transportation Live Healthier, Longer Lives, Study Finds

I don't buy it. Some of the longest living folks are farmers, none of which live near public transportation.

 

[nfitz]

My drive to work is usually less than 40 min, drive home about the same.

I have a car, and certainly no plans to get rid of it ... but I'm not sure I'd feel much freedom of having to drive it almost 1.5 hours a day, just to get work and back!

 

[EnviroTO]

My cars are both reliable and fully paid off, so all I pay for is insurance and gas.

I bought my Metropasses in advance so they are fully paid off. I don't have to pay anything each month... my transportation is free.

 

[StIdes]

I have never spent $8,000 a year on any car I've owned. Is this assuming the person doesnt own their car and is still making payments for it? When I see silly "facts" like that I tend to dismiss articles like these.

 

[CityPainter]

I have never spent $8,000 a year on any car I've owned. Is this assuming the person doesnt own their car and is still making payments for it? When I see silly "facts" like that I tend to dismiss articles like these.

Of course the amount paid for the car itself is included in the estimated operating costs; why would that be excluded? Whether you pay for it completely up front or on a monthly basis via loan or lease, the cost is still extrapolated over the life of the car. You don't notice the cost as much when you pay for it up front, but it doesn't suddenly vanish.

I feel that $8,000 isn't that wild of a number, if you break down costs something like this, based roughly on my experience with my last car, living in a downtown highrise where I had to pay for parking.

Lease or Loan payment, $200 per month = $2,400 per year
Insurance, $175 per month = $2,100
Parking, $100 per month = $1,200
Gas, $25 per week, or $100 per month = $1,200
3 oil changes per year at $20 per change = $60
Misc maintenance like brake pads, car washes, drive clean testing, etc = $200
Have winter/summer tires switched in spring/fall = $75 x 2 = $150
1 unexpected repair per year, say $400
License plate sticker renewal = $74

Total for this scenario: $7,784.

Obviously these numbers go up or down if you change your individual factors: if you own a house with a driveway you can scrap the parking fees (though one could then argue the cost is then absorbed into a larger mortgage). But if you want/need a larger or fancier car and your monthly lease/loan is $300, the total jumps to just under $10,000.

So while the math and priorities are different for everyone, I don't think it's valid to dismiss that $8,000 estimate as "silly". For many, $8,000 is insignificant and not worth worrying about. For others, it is a major chunk of their income, especially when you consider how much gross income you need to earn in order to take home that net. Many lower-income people work for the first quarter or third of each year simply to earn the money needed to pay for their car.

The "soft" non-monetary costs are an entirely different discussion: even a modest 45-min-each-way commute maps out to 7.5 hours per week, roughly equivalent to engaging in an entire extra workday every week -- an extra workday that is not only unpaid, but costs you money.

 

[ITcomputer]

its true, my yearly car costs are about $3500 per year (car is paid off), tack on a $400 per month car payment and it goes to $8800 per year

 

[W. K. Lis]

If one goes without a car, but then needs a car to get a large screen television home (if the store doesn't deliver), they now have the car sharing option available. See this link. I have seen some big box stores have vans available to do the same job for even less that an car sharing outfit.

 

[Second_in_pie]

find the myth of cars as a source of freedom to be at odds with my personal experience. Mine was something of a ball and chain, and I've never felt more free than the day I no longer had to worry about all those expenses, insurance payments, repairs, gas costs, and so on. But going without a car requires a lifestyle change: if you absolutely "need" a suburban house and a backyard (as many claim to) then you will also be burdened with at least one car. Commuting by car made me miserable, but I read a study that said a surprising number of people actually claim to enjoy it: most said they liked the "alone time". Which makes me wonder about the quality of modern life as a whole.

Ah I agree. It's a lot nicer to have someone else drive for you or, even better, have someone else drive for you while you're whizzing by in a Go Train. And nothing beats a good ol' bicycle for getting you around. I'm quite pleased to have recently learned that I can get downtown from Unionville in under 2 hours.

 

[CityPainter]

Ah I agree. It's a lot nicer to have someone else drive for you or, even better, have someone else drive for you while you're whizzing by in a Go Train. And nothing beats a good ol' bicycle for getting you around. I'm quite pleased to have recently learned that I can get downtown from Unionville in under 2 hours.

Is this sarcasm? I'm not really sure. Nobody drives me anywhere. And of course if your lifestyle involves commuting from Unionville to downtown and you're cool with it then of course going without a car would not be practical. My personal decision to ditch my car (which you appear to be mocking? or am I just way too sensitive today?) involved more than just getting rid of the car; I also simultaneously moved to a denser, walkable neighbourhood and changed to a job within walking distance. After that, I found my life to be a lot less stressful. But again, I'm just talking about my own decisions and not telling anyone else how they should live: just pointing out that some of the assumptions we tend to make are not as clear cut as they seem.

 

[Second_in_pie]

Um, no... I was noting how passengers aren't expected to drive busses and trains on their own. I'm confused, especially considering you had two entire posts about the drawbacks of cars :|
And I was actually amazed that I can bike downtown in only twice the time that one would drive down. And during rush hour, it can be within 10 or 20 minutes difference.

 

[CityPainter]

Um, no... I was noting how passengers aren't expected to drive busses and trains on their own. I'm confused, especially considering you had two entire posts about the drawbacks of cars :|
And I was actually amazed that I can bike downtown in only twice the time that one would drive down. And during rush hour, it can be within 10 or 20 minutes difference.

Oh, I gotcha now.. my apologies if I took it the wrong way, the context of your comment wasn't clear to me and I took a defensive stance. Been a long day! Yes, I have a friend who's an avid cylist and was amazed that he regularly bikes from downtown up to places like Aurora and Richmond Hill on his weekend rides. Very impressive.