Do you believe that Columbia is being fought over oil rather than communism, cocaine, and terrorism?
If you still believe in the superiority of public transportation, come to my house by way of public transport, and we'll discuss it further. It ought to take you about a week.
B.C. - Fargo, North Dakota
Most in U.S. Drive to Work Alone By GENARO C. ARMAS Associated Press Writer The Associated Press 8/20/02
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) _ Americans love to go it alone, at least when it comes to driving to work.
Figures from the 2000 census show about 76 percent of workers 16 and older drive alone to their jobs, up from 64 percent two decades earlier and 73 percent in 1990, even though commutes are taking longer.
For many, a long commute is a necessity, the price for larger and more affordable homes in the suburbs. And it's the result of congested highways choked by the urban sprawl that has turned many suburbs and even rural areas into burgeoning communities and business centers.
Stacy Brown said traffic has gotten worse in the four years since she started driving 25 miles from Frederick, Md., to her job as a receptionist in Rockville, Md., just north of Washington. Still, she prefers driving.
"I'd rather sit in my car alone in air conditioning in traffic than wait for a train on a hot platform," Brown said before pulling away from a gas station where she fueled up for the morning commute.
Alan Pisarski, a former deputy director of planning for the Department of Transportation who researches commuting trends, said as more people own homes, they face longer drives to work.
"There's a trade off with the mortgage and commuting time," he said.
The Census Bureau asked people their "usual" mode of transportation to work. So, for example, someone who drives to a train stop would have to choose one or the other as the primary way to work.
Carpooling was the second-most-popular way to work, with 12 percent of Americans saying they ride with friends. That was down from 20 percent in 1980 and 13 percent in 1990.
Public transportation was used by 5 percent of Americans, about the same as in 1990, while those who walk to work fell from 4 percent to 3 percent. People who work from home went up slightly to 3.3 percent from 3 percent.
Solo driving rates rose in every state in 2000 except Washington and Oregon, which saw small increases in public transit and work-from-home options. And the average one-way commute rose to 25 minutes, about three minutes longer than 1990.
The increase in solo drivers came despite continued government efforts to encourage public transportation, major fluctuations in gas prices and warnings about the harmful effect of car exhaust on the environment.
Michael Marsden, an Eastern Kentucky University professor who teaches a course in the automobile's role in society, said America's love affair with the car means solo drivers always will constitute a large portion of commuters.
"People want to drive their own cars, decide when they want to go, where they want to go," he said. "In some ways, the only time people are in charge are when they are in their cars, not at home or at work. It's a very psychologically satisfying thing."
Small metropolitan areas in the Midwest and South had the highest rates of solo drivers, led by the 87 percent of Ohio residents who commute in the Huntington, W.Va.-Ashland, Ky. metro area. For metro areas that encompass more than one state, the Census Bureau calculated rates for drivers in each state.
Saginaw, Mich., and two Ohio cities _ Youngstown and Canton _ had solo driving rates around 86 percent, the 2000 census found. Pisarski said limited public transit options in those areas force more people to drive alone.
I don't dispute the data from either source, nor do I think the data is contradictory.
My belief is that you have difficulty understanding the data.
It is true that BOTH mass-transportation AND private vehicle usage has increased.
That is because the nation's population itself has increased over the time period mentioned.
Furthermore, the article that you posted states that "car pooling" is the mode of transportation that declined in usage. This decline is what contributes to the increased use of BOTH mass-transportation and individual vehicles.
Construction of mass-transit systems has not kept pace with population growth.
And as population density increases in various regions and urban centers of our nation, it becomes a more cost-effective alternative.
Do you believe that Columbia is being fought over oil rather than communism, cocaine, and terrorism?
Do you think that oil supply from this region isn't jeopardized by communist insurgency and drug-related terrorist activity?
The point being made was that military involvement was becoming increasingly necessary to secure foreign supply of oil.
That point has been proven.