Making Transportation Choices When Deciding Where to Live
The launch of CNT’s new Housing + Transportation Affordability Index website has lead to news stories from Boston to Seattle and from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Austin. On Monday, NPR did a story on what it costs to commute in the D.C. area. CNT talked to individuals across the country who live in compact transit-rich neighborhoods about why they choose to live there.
Here’s a sampling of their stories.
Saving $5,000 a Year
In Chicago, longtime Hyde Park resident Charlotte D. figures she saves $5,000 a year by not having a car. It’s been 30 years since she had one, so she estimates she has saved $150,000 so far by using public transportation.
“I haven’t missed it,” she says. “I take the bus, which picks me up right next door to where I live. It takes me 15 minutes to get to work downtown. The bus comes by every five minutes during rush hour, 10 minutes in off-hours. It takes less time than driving, not to mention what I save in parking.
“People should think more about public transportation. I’m always surprised that people don’t use it. Besides the fact that you save a lot of money, you’re healthier. I walk much more than if I drove everywhere.”
Walking Places
Convenient access to Center City was one of the reasons M’Annette R. bought her rowhouse in Philadelphia’s West Mt. Airy 30 years ago. She knew she wanted to be on a SEPTA commuter rail line and found a place conveniently located between two train stops. While she rode the train to her Center City job for many years, she now carpools with two co-workers for the 25-minute commute, which she finds to be an economical yet still environmentally friendly solution.
With a car that she uses almost exclusively for recreation, she says that one of the things she likes about West Mt. Airy is that she can walk to so many places. And with several PhillyCarShare locations in the neighborhood, she has friends who exclusively use the car-sharing program whenever they do need to drive somewhere.
Annual Commuting for $50
Dave and Caitlin M. rented an apartment in Berkeley before buying their home in Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue neighborhood when they were expecting their first child. They considered buying out in the East Bay suburbs because of the lower cost of housing, but Caitlin felt strongly that moving to a community where they could walk places was important.
Now, Dave bikes to work and Caitlin walks the kids to school each day. They’ve donated their second car to charity, and Dave estimates that, since they shop in the neighborhood, they use their remaining car every 10 days or so. The time and cost savings are significant.
“I pay maybe $50 to have my bike tuned up each year,” says Dave. “That’s the extent of my annual commuting cost. Compare that to filling up your car for $50 a week, spending another $40 on parking, the routine maintenance, insurance, registration. Not to mention the time savings. I leave my office and I’m home in little over 10 minutes.”
Saving for Retirement or Paying for Car Insurance?
For the most part, cars haven’t figured highly in Philipp and Laura M.’s lives. The couple, who have lived in the Seward community of Minneapolis, have always had a variety of transportation options. Laura, who grew up in New York City, didn’t learn to drive until she was 25. Philipp did not own a car until he married Laura.
They can’t imagine living in a place that isn’t near downtown, where taking the bus and biking aren’t possible. Philipp works in downtown St. Paul and Laura works in Minneapolis. They use a variety of ways to get to work-biking, walking, riding the bus, driving-depending on the weather, schedules and how they feel.
While Philipp says they managed to raise two kids with one car, they now have two cars, having inherited one from Laura’s father when he passed away a few years ago. They’re planning on selling the second car because of the added expense it brings. “We’re paying $900 a year for insurance on the second car, and that literally comes directly from what we would put into our retirement account,” he says.
Because they drive as little as they do, they don’t feel as much of a pinch from raising gasoline prices as others do. “Because we’re close enough to work and have non-driving options, we’re insulated from the high fuel costs,” says Philipp.
“Ground breaking” and “Creative” Website
The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index website has generated lots of press and posting on blogs. Many have found it a helpful, “creative,” and, even ground breaking tool that reveals transportation costs at the neighborhood level in 52 metro areas. The website provides invaluable and previously unknown information to consumers, housing advocates, and elected officials to understand the true cost of housing affordability based on location.
Visit the site at www.htaindex.org.
