Re: [pf] we took the wrong track, in the '50s and '60s

by Molly Williams

09 December 2000 00:26 UTC

"Fitzsimmons, Diane" wrote:
> 
> I want to thank Sharon and others on the list with "non-traditional"
> transportation examples.  Their comments have reinforced the nagging
> feelings my husband and I have had on factoring transportation in purchasing
> (eventually, we hope) a house.  Right now, we live a mile from our workplace
> and next to the bus stop for both public and school.  Although we have been
> tempted by the "deals" that would allow us to buy a new home farther out, we
> have been inspired to try to keep our driving to a minimum (although
> unfortunatly much more than our "non-drivers" on the list).

As Sharon has replied, I don't think it's a "deal" to move a long way
from the place you work or go to school, even if the house is cheaper.
You really do have to calculate commuter costs into the house price if
you are comparing one in the suburbs or rural area vs. one in an urban
area (presumably near school/work). 

Rideshare Maine has a "commute calculator" that might help you:
http://www.ridesharemaine.org/pages/compute.html

It's not comprehensive but it asks for your daily round trip commute
distance from home to work (in miles);  how many days per month you
normally work, and 
how much you pay monthly for parking. It bases its estimate on $.11 per
mile to operate a vehicle (in line with UCC's estimate of $1.00 per
every ten miles). 

I developed a page of Transporation links for a Portland, Maine,
non-profit's web site that might interest some here:
http://www.propeople.org/links/go.htm

It's designed for people with low incomes but many of the links will be
of interest to others. (sections are General and Welfare-to-Work
Transportation Resources; Alternative Transportation Resources; and
Maine-Specific Transportation Resources). I would love more suggested
links, keeping in mind the audience (folks with low incomes).

We currently live far from everything but not because we thought the
house was a deal. We love all the land we have, and use it for cutting
our Christmas tree, snowshoeing, gardening (food and ornamental),
bird-watching, deer- and moose-watching, walking, privacy, wildflower
study. I think some people should live rurally, even if it means a long
commute, but as Don said in the discussion on libertarianism, we should
pay some kind of premium for that. [Of course, we already pay a premium,
because we pay fairly high property taxes, 80% of which pay for public
schools, which we don't use. But that's another discussion!]

I used to live in Baltimore City, without a car, and I walked or took a
bus everywhere. Occasionally friends drove me to the grocery store. I
was happy with the lifestyle, until I got mugged, and then I realised it
really wasn't safe to wander around in the evening or on weekends (when
much of the city wasn't well peopled) as I was wont to. That experience
put a damper on city life for me, in a way that frequently being
harrassed on the streets by the mentally ill and drugged did not. 
(But that's /another/ story!)

~ Molly