Why do people drive so much? A look at the costs.

[futurebird]

I just created this graph for the wikipedia article on the Effects of the automobile on societies. (It's based on a similar graph in the book Transportation for Livable Cities By Vukan R. Vuchic, a great read for anyone interested in sustainable development.) The article still needs a lot of work, but I wanted to share what I added today.

Comments

[taiki]

the infrastructure isn't there in my town.

If I could take a bus or train instead of driving, I would.

[futurebird]

What town?

[taiki]

Las Vegas, NV.

The bus system is a complete joke. The public won't even think about expanding it. We didn't even like the idea of a monorail enough to actually make sure the damn thing worked.

[futurebird]

Vegas is in bad shape, but it has a large enough population to sustain a public transpiration network if it can ever get the political backing.

In cities like Vegas bus systems exists only to serve the small and often poor part of the population who is too poor or old to own or drive car. The service is infrequent and it's not suitable for people who need to get to a job on time. This means that most working poor people end up spending a lot of their money on keeping a car running so they can get to work, even though a car is more expensive in the long run.

Some of the time it's better to work on improving transit operations for just one corridor. A single bus line that runs frequently can be better than 30 that only come once an hour or less.

[taiki]

Exactly.

i spent I forgot how much on replacement brakes over the weekend and spent all day today installing them. Had there been a bus station in walking distance, I wouldn't even bother with a car, much less brake installs.

[moderndayhippie]

or San Antonio, TX.

[mithfalas]

or Worcester, MA