Originally Posted by
bragi
Yes, the infrastructure we have now sucks, and makes it really inconvenient to not have a car. I can understand why even very poor people think life is impossible without one. But, honestly, you can't argue with math. Even a really cheap beater costs at least $4000.00/year to own and operate, not including the initial price of the car. (And you'll probably spend more on maintenance than you estimate, because it's an old piece of sh*t.) Assuming you make $10.00/hour working 40 hours a week, that's almost 20% of your total pre-tax income. A peak hour bus pass in Seattle, on the other hand, costs about $60.00/mo, or $720/year, which is about the same as the insurance on the above-mentioned cheap car. Instead of spending 20% of your total income on transportation, you'll spend 4%. If you ride a bike, you can buy a decent commuter and everything to go with it for not much more than the bus pass, and then use it for years. With the money you save by not having a car, you can afford to get housing that isn't so far from work, probably live in a nicer area anyway, and generally have a better life with less hassle. You probably won't have a yard, you'll live in a smaller space, and, if you're very poor, you may have to share housing, but all of those things have got to be better than either: a) spending so much of your money on a car that you can never dig yourself out, and b.) having to spend a lot of time getting to and from your job, when you could be doing something more productive, like hanging out with your kids or developing skills that will allow you to get a better job.
I'm sorry, but cars are just a stupid waste of money. This is especially true if you're poor.
I take it you are up to date on the mass transit in the rest of the country?
I know in the large town near me it doesn't run much before 7am or after 8 pm, and has very limited routes. I would wager that it only serves an area that is accessible to only about 15% of the total population, and misses most of the industrial areas where the better paying jobs are. I also suspect in mostly rural states like Vermont it is as bad if not worse.
You happen to live in an area that has better than average mass transit. FWIW the smaller town where my wife and I happen to own a small retail shop, there is NO MASS TRANSIT, no interstate bus service or train service. They just built new subsidized housing....about 2 miles outside the city limits on a high speed two lane road with no sidewalks, and minimal shoulders. If someone has a fast food job, Walmart, or a job at Lowe's Home improvements, they are looking at a minimum of 6-8 miles to get from home to the work place, if they have kids they need to transport to the nearest daycare it is 6 miles. Closest grocery store...5 miles. Why was the subsidized housing built that far out? NIMBY and land costs...
Mass transit and bicycles are great, but until the infrastructure is built to suit something OTHER than the all hail and mighty automobile there are going to be issues.
I agree that a car is an expensive method of transport, but that is what our society considers SOP. And the alternate choices in many areas of the country are extremely limited.
Aaron
