<p>Keep in mind these costs assume gas is $2.88 gal.
Those were the days, eh?
[Costs</a> to drive a car](<a href=“Transit for Livable Communities”>Transit for Livable Communities)</p>
<p>Too bad the auto companies didn’t give American consumers the same choices they gave Europeans.
[Statistically</a> Speaking: Detroit Does It Better in Europe](<a href=“http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/detroit]Statistically”>http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/detroit)</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, our family has automobiles, all American made too. '64 Ford F 150 pickup, 1992 Ford Thunderbird super coupe & 2002 Jeep Liberty. We just don’t drive them very much.</p>
<p>@Roman - what we’re seeing in places like your state of Michigan built around the car isn’t necessarily people abandoning their cars altogether but rather making strategic choices to live closer to where they work so biking, walking, or even using a weak transit system is a possibility. That’s what they mean, in part, by fewer miles traveled. If someone has to wait twenty minutes in the hopes a bus might come then transfer twice, that person should be driving or move.</p>
<p>Also, companies move where their employees want to live nowadays. It’s a mixed bag (obviously Dallas still grows though it is expanding its light rail options significantly) but we’ve seen many move from suburban office parks to downtown or transit accessible locations to attract and retain good employees. The most competitive areas today are those that provide realistic transportation choices.</p>
<p>DS goes to school in Maine. From where we live in upstate NY airfare to Portland is very expensive, bus would be ridiculously long ride and I’m tired of driving 10 hrs up and back to pick him up/drop him off, so just bought him a car this week.</p>
<p>Apple, please tell me where in Michigan people are moving to use public transportation.</p>
<p>People in Michigan move to wherever a job is. With our unemployment rate, public transportation access isn’t really a factor to most people.</p>
<p>But please, prove me wrong.</p>
<p>I guess you’re just not getting what I’m saying. People are demanding more mass transit even if it’s not there yet. You can see it in Seattle, LA, Denver, Dallas, and other such cities scrambling to build mass transit. In your state, you can see it in light rail or rapid bus system being built in Detroit or the movement of tech businesses from the suburbs to downtown Detroit in order to create a sense of place and centralized energy to capitalize on the rising demand for urban living amongst their sought after employees and to attract other businesses. The era of the office park is done. </p>
<p>In my previous post I said many people - way more than recent generations - are moving to locations where they can bike and walk more frequently - sometimes that means being able to get to work that way, other times just being from from car dependence on nights and weekends while still having to drive to work. Either way
vehicle miles traveled has plummeted for a certain age group. </p>
<p>Cities now have to compete for lifestyle and quality of life, not just providing jobs like they used to. These are amenities people of a well educated and more affluent demographic are demanding in order to remain in an area. More blue collar workers, for example, are more in line with your view of going wherever they can find jobs and not so interested in sidewalk cafes and such.</p>
<p>Anyway, no need to continue this as it starts going around in circles.</p>