To Drive or Not to Drive (A Response to A Friend’s Dismisal of the Need for Public Transportation)

Looking south above Interstate 80, the Eastshore Freeway, near Berkeley, California on a Saturday afternoon. Picture taken by Minesweeper on May 14, 2005. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This entry is a response to a good friend concerning the need for public transportation and the want for private automobile.

Responding to Nathan

It is true.  If free market demands it, then it will come to pass.  However, what are we doing to educate the masses so that there will be a higher demand for public transportation.  That the demand for the automobile is high is a no-brainer.  According to the US Census Bureau; 77% of Americans drive to work alone (that is without carpooling).  77% of Americans choose to go to work in their private vehicles, which alludes to the fact that at least 77% of Americans own cars.  Moreover, they choose to use their cars as opposed to other means of transportation.  The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) reports that since 1972 there have been more vehicles in production or in the market then there are licensed drivers to drive them.  So yes, it’s safe to say that the demand in the United States of America for the private automobile is high.  Therefore is easy to see how someone can just throw the possibility for public transportation to the way side.

However, there are many facts concerning the automobile that have been kept from the public conscious sight.  I am convinced that if a person takes a careful consideration to these facts he or she will be more apt to give public transportation a second look.

Fact 1.  The Private Automobile is Expensive. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) the automobile has a proportion of 17% of an average annual household

united states currency seal – IMG_7366_web (Photo credit: kevindean)

expenditure (AAHE).  When you compare this to the fact that a home has a 32% AAHE you start to get the picture of the true expense of a vehicle.  It is the second most expensive item on the AAHE, third is food at 13% and fourth is Social Security at 10%. Using a person that makes 40,000.00 annually and using the BLS statistics, it can be calculated that this person is paying 6,800 Dollars every year for their automobile, compared to 12,800 dollars for their home every year.  That’s 566 dollars every month for a car.  These are conservative estimates.  Calculating the cost of driving on an individual basis may end up producing a higher expenditure value for an automobile (You can calculate your true cost of driving at http://commutesolutions.org/external/calc.html).   With these figures it is perplexing how the “free market” has not demanded something less expensive like public transportation.

 

Fact 2.  The Private Automobile Industry is Too Important

With such a high demand for automobiles, the automobile industry has become too important since it holds a major financial factor in the United States tablet of economics.  In other words, the United States has too much dependence on the automobile industry.  For example, In an article written for the New York Timesby Jeffrey McCracken and John D Stoll they reveal that the automobile industry employs about 3.1 million Americans across the nation.  That’s a lot of Jobs.  If the automobile industry was to

A photograph of the children’s version of Monopoly (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

somehow be affected in a negative way, the possibility exists that 3.1 million jobs could be at jeopardy. The year 2008 gave us a short visual of the possibility of such an event happening to the automobile industry.  It may seem that the course would then be to ensure that these companies would remain in good operation in order for these jobs to exist.  In doing so, a steady flow of tax income to the government and a healthy supply of jobs to the masses is then provided.    As good as this reasoning may sound, the fact still remains that the United States by exclusively supporting the Automobile Industry creates a situation in which it only has one main source of “goods”. It is as the saying goes, “putting all your eggs in one basket”.   The United States thus relies on the Automobile industry to supply the 3.1 million jobs and the steady tax revenue.  However, if the United States was to expand its load of job demand onto another industry, than it would not have such a dependence on one industry.  That’s healthy economics under any economic book out there.  According to the article written for Philly.com by Paul Nussbaum, a healthy public transportation industry in Spain created about 600,000 jobs within 5 years.  Spain has demonstrated that a Healthy public transportation system can help to create jobs.  The fact is obvious that 600,000 jobs is much lower than 3.1 million.  However, this second option to our transportation system would help to create a second financial basket which would then alleviate the financial burden upon the automobile industry and thus create more opportunities for advancements in automobile technology and public transportation technology.  The hope of course would be to create opportunities to lessen or completely severe the United States dependency on oil thus giving the United States a greater freedom on the world stage.

Fact 3 The Infrastructure for the Automobile Costs More than that of Public Transportation

According to the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority on average a Light Rail Transit system (LRT) costs about 35 million dollars per mile to construct.  That seems like a good deal of moneyespecially when estimates are based on not only 1 mile but 20 to 30 miles at a time.  The media is quick to point that the overall expenses to an LRT goes into the billions.  However, when you compare the 2.3 million dollars it takes to construct a highway lane per mile the LRT all of sudden does not seem so expensive considering that most lanes

English: Taxis, cars and buses stuck in the ever honking traffic in Kolkata near Sealdah train station. Deutsch: Taxis, Autos und Busse stehen in Kolkata im Stau in der Nähe des Bahnhofs Sealdah. Das Hupkonzert gibt’s gratis dazu. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

can only carry two thousand people per hour compared to a LRT than carry 20 thousand people per hour.  Thus per passenger mile basis the cost ends up being roughly about the same for both constructions.  However, LRT is not the only public transportation option.  There also exists Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which, according to the US Government Accountability Office costs about 13.5 million dollar per mile in upfront charges.  The truth of the matter is that reasonably priced public transportation is available.

These are just a few of the MANY reasons why as a nation we need to consider public transportation.  It is true; the current demand in the United States is for the automobile.  However, if the masses can be educated to the benefits of public transportation, this demand can be changed.

It’s easy to say, “if the free market wants it, it will happen”.  But the free market is just people and apparently none of us are looking ahead.  Were stuck in the now, with no aspiration to do anything more than cope.  We like our cars because ultimately it is one of the most “status” showoffs we have available.  Its convenience is also evident.  Nevertheless, our population keeps growing, our resources are being taxed.  Land is at a premium when consolidation of ridership is simply too inconvenient for a society too engrossed with self.

We need to look ahead as a nation.  The stark reality is that compared to the world, we are falling behind in just about everything including transportation.  For a nation that is so bent on efficiency, we have become inefficient with how we move.  It’s time to do something about it.  I love my nation and I want it to be great again.

 

My Sources:

http://articles.philly.com/2010-08-08/news/24971401_1_high-speed-rail-ave-train-air-travel/6

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122670818143330019.html

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard106.html

ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/ce/share/2004/age.txt

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/05/030905.asp#axzz1YuXbXKIM

http://dcjobsource.com/drivetowork.html

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2011/Pages/110304_TransitSavings.aspx

http://commutesolutions.org/external/calc.html

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/does-the-us-need-an-auto-industry/

http://vorg.ca/2585-Cars-vs-Bus-vs-Bikes

A Golden Moment Amidst Rotten Apples

An Outer Escape

This is a blog I am re-posting on this site from my Religiously themed site because of its Urban Regional Planning implication.  Transportation is key to community connectivity and the image that such transportation carries is key to creating an desire from the people to ride it.  Some bus drivers are not particularly keen on providing customer service to bus patrons.  Nor are these drivers keen on going above and beyond their bus driving duties and responsibilities.  However, there are those awesome (and rare) exceptions.

If you’re interested in checking out that blog page, go to:http://juancastillojr.wordpress.com/   (Or click the “An Outer Escape” link above

English: A Gillig Advantage bus in service for Foothill Transit, seen here in Downtown Los Angeles, California. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So I was riding on the route 8 a few months ago (from work to Beatty Towers).  A nice bus driver was driving.  He greeted me as I got on the bus and everything (which is kind of rare).  I sat down.  Along the road somewhere near University Avenue we hit traffic.  While we waited for traffic to start moving, this bus driver proceeds to open the door, steps out of his chair, grabs the bus trash can and steps outside.  I was curious as to what he was doing (and so was everyone else on the bus), so I propped myself up to see out the window (stupid new low floor Gillig bus design has windows higher than my line of vision…and IM NOT SHORT! I digress). As  I stared at what the bus driver was doing, I suddenly realized (and so did everyone else) that the bus driver was picking up trash from the street…..He was being a nice person and going above and beyond his job responsibilities by picking up trash from the bus stop area!?  I was astounded twice!  Once because of such level of faithfulness in doing something good even though it’s a small thing to do.  Twice, because the people in the bus with me had the internal fortitude to laugh at the bus driver.  As if what he was doing was so stupid.  As if “what a fool, you are doing something that benefits everyone else but yourself”.  What an idiot right?  Really!  Is this what our society is coming to?  That we laugh at things that are good and decent?  We can’t take a moment to appreciate the fact that someone was willing to do what he did not have to do but did anyways because he is a decent human being!!!! I was livid (still am slightly) for several reasons. One: because of what I saw. Two, because as a human I am sure that I am just as bad.  But I hope that I can be like that bus driver.  Who does what he doesn’t have to do not to impress, but to do what is right in spite of ignorance, hate, or whatever causes someone to laugh at that which is good, innocent and decent!

I made sure that before I stepped off the bus, I expressed my appreciation to that bus driver for what he did.  He blessed me, such a small act really had an impact on me.  I pray and I hope that the Lord my God may bless him ever so richly.

Juan Castillo Jr.

PS.

can I hash tag this?  lets see…#Busstories #RTS #Busdrivers #Bus #Dumbpeople