HOUSEHOLD TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS
The Center for Neighborhood Technology
www.cnt.org
August 2003
This review will be more easily understood as annotated comments on problem areas in the 2030 RTP.* The 2030 RTP was considered from the point of view of public
comment during 2001 and 2002, particularly the comment found in
Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030.**
See the "The American Dream" at
http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=224
for more information on household travel costs.
* Available at
http://www.sp2030.com/CommentSite/index.html
.
**Available at
http://www.cnt.org/tsp/trans/ctaqc/cc/theplan.htm
The chart below offers specific page references and quotes from the Regional Transportation Plan and commentary on why each quote is relevant or problematic
Page Quote
Comment
19
In addition, because we are establishing policy direction
for government agencies, the goals speak to institutional
influences on society.
Fails to acknowledge that public investment policies impact
household transportation costs, that families must direct
more household income to cars when transit and walkability
are not options.
48
The analysis used economic, statistical and engineering
methods to evaluate the alternatives based on
fundamental principles that illustrate rational behavior.
CATS relies on a formula for calculating "transportation
cost" to the user that severely undercounts the actual cost of
owning, insuring, fueling and repairing automobiles and
overcounts the "time cost" of waiting for transit. The formula
guarantees that auto use will look "rational" and transit use
will look "irrational" for the majority of trips.
50
Shared Path 2030 anticipated that reduced miles and
hours of travel are associated with lower energy costs,
less pollution and more efficient use of the transportation
system.
Their formula for calculating "transportation cost" leads to
this illogical conclusion. A traveler can have marginally
longer trips on transit, by foot or by bicycle and reduce
energy costs, pollution and congestion as well as reduce
personal costs.
6
Nonetheless, nearly all of the decisions regarding the
transportation system's use are privately made. Thus,
while decisions regarding transportation supply occur in
the public domain, their success is dependent to a
significant extent on the personal travel choices of
individuals.
Individual travel choices and household travel costs are
heavily influenced by the infrastructure choices available.
When auto travel is the only convenient or realistic option,
cars must be purchased. Once purchased, autos create
substantial, continuous expenses.