Automobile Dependency and the Working Poor Essay -- Poverty

machine Dependency and the Working PoorDavid Shipler briefly mentions in The Working Poor that lack of penetration to a gondola gondola car is one of the factorsthat make finding and holding a job difficult. A person in take up of a job whitethorn be unable to consecrate a car,since car ownership is so expensive, but they may privation a car because of urban sprawl and shortsightedpublic transit networks. But just how serious is the burden of car ownership, and how exactly doesunder funded public transit and urban sprawl contribute to the need to take on this burden?The costs of car ownership concern motorists greatly, so it isnt difficult to find information.AAA releases an annual brochure and report called Your ride Costs. Their 2004 brochurereports a composite national average cost of 56.1 cents per mile over 15,000 miles of drivingannually. This amounts to an annual cost of $8,415. Americans spend more of their income on theircars than they do on anything else except fo r shelter. A reliable car that has been paid for in full maycost $4,000 annually, but the upfront cost of a car is still great, and few Americans can pass on to buya car outright. This picture is complicated by the fact that few low-income families are able to afforda new car, which reduces the cost of financing, but these families are excessively likely to have poor creditwhich has the opposite effect. The used cars that they buy are withal likely to be less reliable than theaverage, which increases repair costs. Clearly, owning a car is a huge financial burden. Why take iton?The problem is an urban and suburban infrastructure designed to accommodate cars at theexpense of non-automotive mc and a lack of well-designed, well-funded public transit services. Inthe yea... ...sAmherst. 26 Feb 2006 .Ewing, et al. Measuring sprawl and its Impact. 2002. Smart Growth America. 10 April2006. .Oppenheimer, Laura. Portland, Ore., Ranks Among Least departing Communities in Country.Knight Ri dder Tribune Business News. 18 October 2002. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. UnivMass Amherst. 26 February 2006 .Shipler, David K. The Working Poor imperceptible in America. 2004. New York Vintage-Random, 2005.Sinha, Kumares C. Sustainability and Urban Public Transportation. Journal of TransportationEngineering 129.4 (Jul-Aug 2003) 331(11). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Univ MassAmherst. 26 February 2006 .Your control Costs. 2006. AAA Exchange. 26 February 2006. . Automobile Dependency and the Working Poor Essay -- PovertyAutomobile Dependency and the Working PoorDavid Shipler briefly mentions in The Working Poor that lack of main course to a car is one of the factorsthat make finding and holding a job difficult. A person in need of a job may be unable to afford a car,since car ownership is so expensive, but they may need a car because of urban sprawl and undermannedpublic transit networks. But just how serious is the burden of car ownership, and how exactly doesunder funded public transit and urban sprawl contribute to the need to take on this burden?The costs of car ownership concern motorists greatly, so it isnt difficult to find information.AAA releases an annual brochure and report called Your Driving Costs. Their 2004 brochurereports a composite national average cost of 56.1 cents per mile over 15,000 miles of drivingannually. This amounts to an annual cost of $8,415. Americans spend more of their income on theircars than they do on anything else except for shelter. A reliable car that has been paid for in full maycost $4,000 annually, but the upfront cost of a car is still great, and few Americans can afford to buya car outright. This picture is complicated by the fact that few low-income families are able to afforda new car, which reduces the cost of financing, but these families are also likely to have poor creditwhich has the opposite effect. The used cars that they buy are also likely to be less reliable than theaverage, whi ch increases repair costs. Clearly, owning a car is a huge financial burden. Why take iton?The problem is an urban and suburban infrastructure designed to accommodate cars at theexpense of non-automotive mc and a lack of well-designed, well-funded public transit services. Inthe yea... ...sAmherst. 26 Feb 2006 .Ewing, et al. Measuring Sprawl and its Impact. 2002. Smart Growth America. 10 April2006. .Oppenheimer, Laura. Portland, Ore., Ranks Among Least Sprawling Communities in Country.Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. 18 October 2002. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. UnivMass Amherst. 26 February 2006 .Shipler, David K. The Working Poor unseeyn in America. 2004. New York Vintage-Random, 2005.Sinha, Kumares C. Sustainability and Urban Public Transportation. Journal of TransportationEngineering 129.4 (Jul-Aug 2003) 331(11). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Univ MassAmherst. 26 February 2006 .Your Driving Costs. 2006. AAA Exchange. 26 February 2006. .