RonH

The following was in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.
Sure glad I biked to work today.


Atlanta's commutes are costliest in U.S.
By TAMMY JOYNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/18/05

Metro Atlanta is the most expensive place in America for commuters.

A family with two commuters here can expect to pay more than $4,500 at the gas pump this year, according to an Oregon demographic research firm that studied gas prices and commuting patterns.

The study was conducted in late April when gas prices averaged about $2.20 a gallon in Atlanta. Although prices have dropped slightly since then, Atlanta still holds the distinction of being the most expensive.

We aren't paying the most for gas — that distinction belongs to San Francisco, where commuters paid an average of $2.69 a gallon for gas in mid-April — but we do have one of the worst commutes and burn up plenty of gas crawling in rush-hour traffic, said demographer Bert Sperling.

Sperling's firm, Sperling's BestPlaces, has been tracking American trends, habits and lifestyles for 20 years. He said the typical Atlanta commuter averages 60 miles each workday behind the wheel of a car, and another 60 miles on the weekend.

"People [in Atlanta] are getting hit really hard," Sperling said.

The study looked at gas prices, commutes and rush-hour traffic. The average price of a gallon of regular-grade gas has risen more than 40 cents, or nearly 25 percent, in the past year, the report noted. The gas squeeze has become so bad that Sperling said gas station officials across the country are telling him they're seeing "more people fill up and then drive off without paying."

The largest cities in the South and Midwest were in the top 10 because of their sprawl, Sperling said. Seven of the top 10 most expensive cities were in the South, where people tend to live far from where they work.

While we'll spend a lot of time at the gas station, folks in Pensacola, Fla., and Birmingham will spend a larger chunk of their pay on gas. A working couple in Pensacola, the No. 1 spot, now spends about 14.5 percent of after-tax income on gas. And that doesn't include the cost of buying the car, maintaining it or paying for insurance, the report noted.

"The rising fuel prices have placed an incredible burden on families which were already living very close to the edge," the Sperling report noted. "And often, they have no choice but to keep driving and paying. They've got to go where the jobs are."

ofofhy

My wife used to live in ATL. When she first moved there she was living with some friends in Alpharetta, I believe. She worked in mid-town. It would take her over 2 hours to get home on 400. A couple of times, she called me up with the car shut off because traffic was going nowhere.

I didn't really view ATL as being as bike-friendly as other cities, but when I lived there (for three months) I didn't have a bike (or a job). So I didn't really commute there.

Orikal

I wonder where Houston/Dallas sit on that list. Gotta be way up there.

jnbacon

Ask and ye shall receive:

https://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/gasprices.aspx

No Houston, though.

genec

$2.97 is a local high I noticed the other day...

https://www.fueltracker.com/newmenu/h...ity=BAY%20PARK

It wasn't the $2.97 that caught my eye however... it was the $3.27 for premium that swung my head...

Orikal

...or Dallas. Very surprising. Thanks.

RonH

It seems I read or heard that in 2004 or 2005 Atlanta was voted the worst city for bicycling.
After reading the AJC article I can believe it. All those cars, vans, and SUVs are in a big hurry to get to work or home.
I'm always being passed way too close and way too fast by someone who gets as far as the next red light. Many times I'll pull up beside him/her at the light and say something like, "Sure glad you hurried past me so we could stop at this light together."

BraveSpear

Wow, Jacksonville is ranked in at #5! Thank goodness I commute by bike! (except today, woke up too late to get to work on time.. had to cage my way in.. still not seeing any other bicycle commuters, though..)

ofofhy

I am sure that this holds for other "younger cities" in America, but I have never seen so many SUVs as in ATL. Most of my friends from college live there, and some of them own these gi-normous tanks. One of them had to turn the mirrors in to fit in his garage. I definitely saw a "bigger and faster is better" mentality there.

[Seinfeld} And what is with all the Valet Parking there? I mean when you have to valet at a place called the Three Dollar Cafe??? What would they do if you pulled up on a bike? [/Seinfeld]

vtjim

Bah. They're hitting themselves. I'm so tired of people whining about gas prices.

I've avoided driving to work by car for almost one year, and even if I deduct the money I've spent on bike accessories, I've still saved enough money to buy a very nice commuter bike. Not sure what I'm going to get though.

If I can do that in Vermont, why can't people in a huge southern city like Atlanta do it?

BillyBob

Because you would be run over like a squirrel.

Dahon.Steve

The top ten places by highest percentage of family income spent on gasoline:
Metro Area Pct of inc. Gas per gal. Family inc.

1. Pensacola FL-AL 14.5% $2.281 $43,388
2. Birmingham AL 13.4% $2.192 $49,964
3. Orlando FL 13.0% $2.270 $50,452
4. Nashville-Davidson TN 11.7% $2.205 $56,451
5. Louisville KY-IN 11.7% $2.318 $48,340
6. Jacksonville FL 11.6% $2.281 $54,361
7. Tampa-St. Petersburg FL 11.5% $2.256 $48,449
8. Fresno CA 11.4% $2.638 $42,465
9. Los Angeles-Long CA 11.3% $2.610 $54,332
10. Indianapolis IN 11.3% $2.335 $55,224

No wonder why a small jump in the price of gas effects so many people. Folks are spending through their teeth just for gas and we're not even including insurance or repairs.!! IT"S INSANITY! I could not believe these stats and it's the first time I've actually seen what people are spending for motor transport in proportion to their incomes!

Folks. If you make 43K and spend 14% of your gross on gas, you are dead broke! My mouth dropped when I saw those numbers. Seriously, I don't know how these people are doing it because there is no way I could afford that lifestyle. Incredible.

I feel kind of guilty because my transportation costs per year using Lightrail and subway is only 2% of my income. It's actually less since I purchase my pass using pre-tax income. That's the way it should be in my opinion. I can now see why Americans save so little compared to other industrial nations. I used to think my transportation costs were high until the poster listed what others are spending just for gasoline.

This post was an eyeopener.

max-a-mill

that is fockin nuts!!!! as a favorite quote from another board said... "wake up sheeple"

with spending on cars and upkeep that is probably over a quater of what you make (2 of every 8 hours you work a day) spent paying for your d@mn car.

atbman

You poor things - you're paying about 65c/70c per litre and we're paying abut $1.55/60c.

Even so, SUV sales are going up here as well.

Is there intelligent life on earth? Too early to tell

RonH

Atlanta is not a city. It's a huge mess of suburban sprawl. Many people drive 40-50 miles one way.

pgoat

I once filled my truck with gas right after memorial day and still had the same tankful when labor day rolled around. I also had some nice cuts in my legs and the closest I'd been to a six-pack in many many years!

Don't own a car anymore but I shudder at the thought of paying for gas nowadays.

Interesting how gas and tobacco keep getting more and more pricey. You'd think people would just stop buying all that toxic crap already!!

Cyclaholic

Somebody's going to have to explain to me someday how it is that you rush at crawling pace