Happy Transportation Freedom Day!
One couldn't ask for better weather for a holiday, so allow me a moment to wish all Angelenos reading this a Happy Transportation Freedom Day. This lovely day marks the point in the year where your average Los Angeles family has earned enough money to cover their transportation costs for the entire year. Remember what you were doing on New Year's Eve? That seems like a long time ago, doesn't it.
Of course, this is for the average L.A. family. Depending on your community, Transportation Freedom Day may have come early. The Koreatown community surrounding the Wilshire/Western transit hub celebrated their holiday on February 22. Santa Monica and Pasadena celebrated their's last week. By contrast, some of the parts of the Southland that are farther flung such as Santa Clarita or Hacienda Heights won't celebrate until sometime in April.
"Transportation Freedom Day is an eye opener," Erin Steva, Transportation Advocate for the California Public Interest Research Group. "It shows the need for greater investments in more efficient ways to get around, such as public transit. When government makes the right kind of transportation investments, citizens save a lot of money."
"People may not recognize how much they pay for transportation. Our research and these numbers show that we need long-term solutions that make it easier for Californians to drive less and to get around more efficiently," said Steva.
Nationwide, the average family spends seventeen percent of their budget on transportation. For Angelenos that number is a somewhat higher twenty percent. This suggests that greater investment is needed in "people powered" transportation and transit. We all know that the Mayor has seized the banner for transit expansion by championing both Measure R and now "30 in 10." Perhaps it's also time to push the banner for safe walking and biking?
CALPIRG computes when Transportation Freedom Day is for various cities and smaller communities within these cities by taking the average income for the area and average transportation costs based on census data. CALPIRG's release can be found after the jump.
Residents Must Work OVER TWO and a HALF Months to Cover Annual Transportation Costs
Los Angeles, CA – On March 16th, residents celebrate Transportation Freedom Day, the date a typical area household has earned enough to cover its annual transportation costs.
“Transportation Freedom Day is an eye opener,” Erin Steva, Transportation Advocate. “It shows the need for greater investments in more efficient ways to get around, such as public transit. When government makes the right kind of transportation investments, citizens save a lot of money.”
Mayor Villaraigosa reflected on transit’s role for Los Angeles’ quality of life, and its ability to move the city forward. "Public transit plays a vital role in cities, relieving traffic congestion, improving air quality, and providing access to jobs, shopping, health care, education, and recreation. For Los Angeles, it's no longer a question of whether to build 12 new rail and bus projects, but when-- over 10 years or 30 years. My vision for making Los Angeles more sustainable includes dramatically expanding transit to connect communities and job centers and ensure the vibrancy of our region."
Americans on average spend an astounding 17 percent of their annual income on transportation, far more than they pay for food, clothing, entertainment, income taxes or even health care. New findings released by the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) show that a typical Los Angeles household shells out the equivalent of 20 percent, or approximately 75 days of a typical annual salary to pay for transportation costs. In more walkable communities and better transit systems, households spend less. In San Francisco, for instance, residents could expect to spend the equivalent of almost three fewer weeks of income to get around.
“People may not recognize how much they pay for transportation. Our research and these numbers show that we need long-term solutions that make it easier for Californians to drive less and to get around more efficiently,” said Steva.
Here in Los Angeles, Transportation Freedom Days in the region ranged from February 22nd in parts of bus and rail-serviced Korea Town, near Wilshire and Western (i.e., 14% of income) to April 2nd in more auto-dependent Hacienda Heights (i.e., 25% of income). In Los Angeles and surrounding areas such as Long Beach, families spend from $6,105 to $11,450 on transportation costs alone each year.
The average American household spent more than $8,000 per year on its vehicles in 2008 according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Americans who live in areas with good access to public transit generally spend less on transportation than those who are fully dependent on cars. Residents in transit-friendly areas tend to attain “Transportation Freedom” earlier in the year. By highlighting these dates, CALPIRG seeks to raise awareness about how access to public transportation is a crucial for saving Americans money.
“Shortchanging public transportation is a classic case of being pennywise and pound foolish,” added Steva. “Now more than ever, public officials must make trains and buses a top priority.”
Transportation Freedom Day is the day of the year in which a median-income household has earned enough money to pay for their transportation expenditures for the year. It is based on Census data includes gas, repairs, parking, vehicle depreciation and transit fares.
For example, only 56 days must pass before the income from a median-income household living in San Francisco would cover their annual transportation bill. However, a typical household that would live in car-dependent Los Angeles could expect to wait up to 75 days, equivalent to nearly three weeks of additional income before covering expected annual transportation costs.
The findings illustrated in Transportation Freedom Day confirm other data showing that an individual switching from driving to public transportation in 2010 could expect to save $10,052 in 2010, according to the American Public Transit Association.
Transportation Freedom Day data comes from the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago, which is a leader in statistically based analysis of transportation and housing. Transportation costs are controlled for differences of income, family size, and number of working individuals in a household. Transportation demand is modeled using the most recent census data, and costs are calculated to include car ownership, maintenance, gas, and transit fares. A detailed description of their transportation cost methodology can be found at: http://htaindex.cnt.org/model_
Transportation Freedom Day logo and further information at: http://www.calpirg.org/issues/
