You Can Save 43% by Ditching One Car

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So, folks, there I was at 32,000 feet flying to the regular semi-annual meeting of The Realty Alliance, reading the April issue of “Spirit,” the Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine. There in a section called “The Numbers” was this tidbit:

“A study commission by the American Public Transportation Association calculates that it costs that it costs a household $14,276 annually to transport two workers to their jobs. If one partner sells a cars and commutes by bus or train or street car or bicycle or walking or working at home in a new urban live/work unit [italics added], the household’s total expenditure for commuting drops to $8,025 – even after transit fares are added in. The lion’s share of the savings comes from the costs of owning, insuring, and fueling a second car. In comparison, the study found that the average U.S. household spent approximately $5,800 on food and $6,900 on mortgage interest in 2004, the data that was used in the January 2007 study.”

Little by little, in many ways and in many places, a new consciousness is taking shape in the country. Can you feel it too? The balance is tipping in favor of more sustainable development and building practices. The time is right for traditional neighborhood development with all the benefits conveyed by the new urbanist principles. Be sure to see the website for the Omaha area’s first new traditional greenfield neighborhood by visiting www.whatsnewonstatestreet.com.