Driving with Fewer Cars from Planck's Constant

Bike commuters during morning rush hour, Dexter Avenue, Seattle
Photo Credit: Paul Joseph Brown/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Last week in my article Should you Own a Car at All? I wrote, "One of the greatest impediments to the accumulation of wealth in this country is the unnecessary ownership of a car." In response, reader frank argued ¹ that in most of the country there is no public transportation and that he and his wife needed two cars because they both worked (he 12 miles away, she 18 miles).

I suggested ² that he ride a bike for his commute, that it would be healthier. Indeed, many cities are setting up programs to encourage commuters not to drive to work. Seattle ³, for example, has a transportation plan to reduce single driver cars by 10% during the next decade. The spike in gas prices last year showed that Americas reduced their use of the car when they had to.

Frank replied that telling a 66 year old who's had a heart attack to ride a bike 24 miles a day was not a good idea. Sadly I did not write this advice years ago, perhaps frank would have started riding a bike long ago to prevent that heart attack.

I believe that frank confuses mobility and convenience with necessity. I'm sure if I held a gun to his head and demanded he find a way to make do with one less car that in short order he would find a way to car pool or make arrangements with his employer or his wife's for some kind of flex time or whatever so that frank could drive his wife to work, drop her off and then drive to his job. If he is 12 miles from work and she is 18 then depending on topography, if he drives her to work then he is only about 21 miles away from his job.

Here's a suggestion: have the wifey drive the first leg to her job; frank can read a newspaper, do some paperwork, set up appointments by cell, snooze, or even spend some time conversing with her. Once she's safely dropped off, frank can continue to his job. They can swap, on alternate days he drives to his job and she can snooze, do business, read a paper, etc. By alternating, one spouse is only spending an additional 2 or 3 hours per week on the commute. If the time is spent constructively or in conversation then it's not wasted. In addition, if any of the two needed to pay for parking then obviously parking fees would be reduced since they would only be parking one car in addition to reduced insurance, maintenance, amortization, etc.

In addition, fewer cars on the road may sometimes reduce tolls ⁴.

Don't get me wrong, we in America are not as bad in car ownership as other countries. Surprisingly we rank 16th in the world in cars owned per 1,000 population ⁵, fewer than Canada or Australia.

But we can still do better; the average household size in the US is 2.6 [Census Bureau Population Estimates Program 2007] and 2.28 vehicles per household ⁶. Ideally we should only need 1 vehicle per household.

If a family truly wanted to create and increase wealth they would do well to change their living and driving habits. Frank in his comments told us that his son and son's wife live 26 miles away and his daughter and her family live 22 miles away. My suggestion would have been that they should all live in one large compound central to where they now live. Instead of three mortgages/rents they would only have one. With the reduced costs of home ownership they could have a large pool, exercise room, home theater, etc., or other amenities that separately they would not be able to afford.

This is how immigrants end up owning millions of businesses and getting into home ownership much sooner than non-immigrant Americans. They pool their resources, they live in larger households, they save money. Certainly children of non-immigrants leave their homes much too soon ().

I am not saying anyone who has a car is an idiot; I'm saying that if you want to succeed as many immigrants do, then follow their example. This is not advice on how many cars to own, this is advice on how to increase wealth.

Notes

(1):

Comment, In Response to article "Should you Own a Car at All?"
Spoken like a true urban elitist. In MOST of the country, there is NO public transportation, and shopping, school, places of worship, etc., are MILES away. In my own case, the nearest grocery store is 1.2 miles away; my wife must commute 18 one way; I must commute 12 one way to my part-time job; my son & his wife live 26 one way; my daughter and her family live 22 one way; etc.; ad nauseum. Open your eyes and look beyond the urban beehive.

frank

(2):

Comment, In reply to Frank
Actually most of the country (79.2%) lives in Urban areas: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census/cps2k.htm
As for your 12 mile commute, ride a bike; it's healthier and cheaper. When you need to visit your kids then use your wife's car. Both of you do not need a car.

And btw, I didn't say never get a car, I said do the math first - a lot of those 79% who live in urban areas probably could get by without a car; but only if they wanted to save money.

The point I was making is that owning a car keeps one from attaining wealth, not that you are an idiot for owning one. I understand that many of us make trade-offs of convenience against wealth building.

Obviously if you live in a rural area with few other options then you are sadly stuck with your circumstances - doesn't mean you are a bad person, sorry if you took it that way.

bernie

(3):

Seattle PI, A drive toward fewer cars
In 2000, 61 percent of all Seattle work trips were by someone driving alone. By 2020, the city's transportation strategic plan wants to knock that down to 55 percent. People tend to become more interested in shifting out of their cars if gas or parking prices escalate, and if alternatives to the car are reliable, affordable and convenient, experts say.
But it often takes something unusual to inspire or shake people into the awareness of those alternatives, said David Allen, senior transportation planner for the city.

A city program called "One Less Car Challenge" aims to do just that, Allen said. The program encourages people to give up use of one car for one month, offering commuters tips on getting around by bus, bike or foot and also providing the free use of a Flexcar when needed.

...

Nearly 10 percent of work trips in Seattle are by bicycle or on foot, and in the city's "urban villages" that rises to 20 percent to 25 percent, says Peter Lagerwey, Seattle's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. About 4,000 to 8,000 bicyclists commute daily, the city estimates.

(4):

cbs2 news, 27 Mar 2009, [link dead] Fewer Cars Leads To Price Cut On O.C. Toll Lanes
Orange County transportation officials say fewer vehicles has led them to reduce tolls on the 91 Freeway Express Lanes.
The slumping economy and high jobless rate is being blamed for fewer cars.

The Orange County Transportation Authority is now moving to attract more traffic.

Starting Wednesday, tolls will be lowered 50 cents during seven time slots throughout the day.

(5):

Photo Credit: The Economist

(6):

CarBuyer's Notebook, 12 Feb 2008, Study Finds 2.28 Vehicles Per U.S. Household
However, households with three or more vehicles maintain the single largest category, at nearly 35 percent. The number of vehicles per household varies across states and regions, with Washington, D.C., having the highest single-car percentage (62.5 percent), and South Dakota the highest percentage of households with five or more vehicles (12.79 percent).
The study also found that as the number of vehicles per household increases, the types of vehicles shift. Households with only domestic vehicles come out on top among two-vehicle households, comprising nearly 40 percent of the category. When moving up to three- and four-vehicle households, Americans tend to prefer a blend of domestic and import vehicles, at 49.8 percent and 59.87 percent, respectively. Households having only new vehicles also lead the two-vehicle category, at 43.5 percent. Interestingly, as the number of vehicles increases, so does the blend between new and used vehicles, with 60 percent of three-vehicle households and more than 70 percent of four-vehicle households having a mix of the two.

(7):

Planck's Constant, When should children leave home?
Although I enjoyed Failure to Launch (2006), I disagreed with the premise of the movie that there is something wrong with a thirty-something child who does not want to leave home. Children Should live with parents until they die. That's right; until they (the parents) die.
The trouble with American kids and here I speak of 20 and 30 year olds, is that the moment they graduate high school, get a job, or meet their 'true love,' they want to flee the nest. On this forum the question was asked, "What is the average age to move out?" and 66% responded with 20 years old or less with many posters suggesting that even 17 or 18 is a good age to leave home.