Nate Silver, a Freakonomics favorite, wonders if the American car culture is finally coming to an end. Silver points out that Americans drove much less this January than last January, even less than expected in a bad economy with high unemployment. Part of the decrease may be explained by a delayed response to last summer’s high gas prices, but Silver also cites evidence of a potential sea change in Americans’ attitudes toward driving. [%comments]
Turning the Corner on Driving?
TAGS: cars, gas prices
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I love the comments here about the value of time “wasted” while riding on public transit. What do drivers get accomplished while sitting behind a wheel in bumper to bumper traffic? Last year I read several dozen books during the time I “wasted” on public transit.
Maybe in the city, but unbeknowenst to mypoic urban lefties, people are still driving elsewhere.
For 75% + of Americans, cars have become a commodity which is why Honda, Toyota and pickup trucks have done well in the North American market. Generally speaking those cars are boring and utilitarian, but reliable and a good value.
For the rest of us, our identity or our passions are in some obvious or subtle way reflected in what we drive. I’m willing to pay more to drive a car with more style and power than a Honda Civic, but I’m in the minority which is why the two brand solution (e.g. Toyota/Lexus or Ford/Lincoln) will be the model for the early 21st century. Commodity cars for the masses and something better, but more costly, for the rest.
Since WWII, our country has transformed independence into greed. So, we eskew mass transportation as we drive our car(s), usually with just the driver in each auto.
This wastes enrergy, auto costs and helps to destroy the environment,
Why? Materialistic selfishness and greed.
As European nations, Japan and other countries have improved their national transportation systems (e.g., bullet trains with an emphasis on comfort, new lines), we have destroyed our passenger train system and not done routine maintenence.. Fewer tracks, routes, slower and fewer trains, dirty and uncomfotable…
So out of individual selfishness and corporate greed by using lobbyists… (remember electic trolleys replaced by GM with GM buses as tracks in practically all major cities were torn up?). California had one of the most comprehensive trolley networks in the country. Now, they are all gone.
Maybe this economic downturn will waken up our country. And, we will understand that greed cannot last forever and
as a result, our new values will bring us more (not less)
fulfillment.
Having lived in upstate NY for four years, I’ve learned that five feet of snow will fall, it’s just a matter of when. Could January ’09 have had more inclement weather than January ’08? It is a real bummer to tool about in the snow.
Its fine to do something “productive” when you are on public transportation. However, if you get off work at 6:00pm and your children need to be in bed by 8:00pm, then it makes a heck of a lot of difference whether your commute is one or two hours. What you are doing during that time is almost completely irrelevant.
Looking at the graph, the downturn doesn’t seem to be much different from other historical fluctuations away from the predicted driving patterns. In other words, there’s no reason to believe that attitudes toward driving are permanently changing.
David @12,
I’ve lived in the greater NYC area and know how good the public transportation is there, but I suspect you’ve never lived in the Rockies where I am. In fact, I wonder how often you get west of the Hudson or north of Westchester. Public transportation is unworkable where I am for the vast majority of people. Population densities are simply too low and geographic barriers too formidable for a Subway, let alone a European-style rail and bus network.
I’m all for dense, walkable communities where possible, but for the many millions of existing homes, we need to have solutions that work with the existing infrastructure. Bulldozing most of the country and starting over isn’t feasible. To say my housing decision is about selfishness is not to understand the constraints I face.