Americans would rather skip a movie than take the bus
In a new survey by Discover Financial Services, ninety percent of Americans indicated they are very aware of rising fuel prices and they are prepared to make lifestyle adjustments to compensate. As might be expected, eighty percent of the respondents consider their car important in their lives and half would buy a more efficient vehicle if gas prices rise much over $4 a gallon. Sixty-four to seventy percent of Americans indicated that they would cut back on entertainment, vacations and major purchases and fifty two percent would even reduce grocery spending. While Americans might drive less with rising fuel prices, they would continue driving nonetheless. Sixty-one percent said they would not ride a bike or walk while only twenty-four percent would take public transit.
A big part of this may be due to the way that America grew in the latter half of the twentieth century. With all the suburban sprawl in the United States walking anywhere besides the neighborhood often isn't even a realistic option for people. With the exception of some the largest urban centers like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles public transportation also isn't a useful option either. Unless we get more people to move from suburban subdivisions back into city centers and improve the transit options, individual transportation will likely remain the primary mode of travel in the US for the foreseeable future.
[Source: Discover Financial Services]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
beaker 11:22AM (6/27/2007)
That's funny...
I took the bus to the movies just the other day.
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pdx 12:07PM (6/27/2007)
Hey - some of the smaller population centers have great transit, but not many. Of course, I am biased - I live in one. Portland, Oregon...
But I think that the study and your comments are dead on. There is just no way to go without a car for most places in the USA. Most of the cities that gained their size after the advent of the car - are too car oriented. Many cities have no real transit to speak of, and it is impossible to get places without hitting massive highways. Not very conducive to walking or biking.
But with the price of movies, I recommend skipping more than one movie... Buy the DVD and be done with it. I can buy 2 DVDs for less than just the tickets to a movie for my family. :)
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Jimbo 3:14PM (6/27/2007)
I sometimes use a commuter coach bus to travel the 35 miles to work. I can walk to the bus stop from my house in a small city. I can get ten one way bus passes for $42.
The problem is I always seem to sit with someone behind me who coughing and sneezing the whole trip. I prefer taking my car. I am still paying to own a car that is just sitting there.
Instead of buying DVDs we use one on the online DVD sharing companies (netflix). How many times can you watch the same movie? It shows up in the mail and we send it back in the mail.
I will skip the bus and watch a DVD.
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Mike 1:32PM (6/27/2007)
I don't want to live in the city, Any city, not even Portland, OR. I work there it's like any other large city; creepy, dirty, weirdos. Good beer though!
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Ed 2:27PM (6/27/2007)
The problem is that our cities are presently built for cars, not for people. Its possible to have cities built around public transit, like they did at the turn of the century with streetcars.
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Joseph 5:02PM (6/27/2007)
"While Americans might drive less with rising fuel prices, they would continue driving nonetheless."
What do you expect? People got to drive!
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mr friggles 12:58PM (6/29/2007)
Or you can kill two birds with one stone. Protest the rising movie prices and the rising gas prices by staying home and downloading the movie :)
:)
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Chris M 6:16PM (6/27/2007)
Unfortunately, public transit in most cities has devolved into a charity case, mainly serving those who cannot drive or cannot afford a car. Most people avoid public transit, as it means long waits and slow travel, is inconvenient, and figuring out the correct route to the desired destination can be a hassle. Stay late and you risk missing the last bus or train.
What is needed is a public transit system that has no waiting, no transfers, goes nonstop to your destination, is convenient and easy to use, safe, efficient, clean, and is available round the clock all the time. Such a system has been proposed. See:
http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/prtquick.htm
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gsolman6 5:09PM (6/28/2007)
What bugs me about public transit is that while poor countries like Egypt can afford a good metro system in Cairo yet somehow we can't?
http://www.a-1hotels.com/eg/allaboutegypt/Trains_Schedules/Buses_Time_Table/Cairo_Metro_Network/cairo_metro_network.htm
If you make it fast, clean and convienent the white collar workers will use it. Case in point would be the Pentagon metro station.
Still even better is the Munich metro system:
http://www.wannatour.com/data/pboard/munich%20metro.jpg
Reliable, clean, inexpensive and stops everywhere.
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bill 10:46AM (6/28/2007)
I live about 20 miles south of Portland, Oregon. I won't go there for any reason other than a medical emergency. The city sucks, the mayor is a liberal idiot, bicycle riders think they own the road, and clowns go around at night setting cars and trucks on fire.
As for riding a bus - forget about it. We could give most Oregonians a much more fuel efficient vehicle and save money over what we are urinating away on public transportation. As for going to the movies - I don't.
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mb 12:10PM (6/28/2007)
I live about 20 miles outside of DC in Charles County and work in Rosslyn, VA. I currently drive to a park & Ride, catch a commuter bus into DC, and then transfer to the metro to get into VA. The bus ride is the worst part, between the morans that have their cell phones set to ring at an ear splitting level, and the wide loads that take their seat and half of mine. That being said, I save not only on gas, but wear & tear on my car, the cost of parking and my insurance when down over $200 a year when I quit communting. The big loss is my time though, a little over 2½ hours a day at the time I go to work (4:30 am).
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