Automobile Dependency: An Unequal Burden
Automobile-dependent planning has changed automobiles from a luxury into a necessity. Excessive vehicle costs leave many households without money to purchase essential food, shelter and healthcare. They need more affordable transportation options.
Todd Litman | December 15, 2020, 5am PST Share
Vic Hinterlang
Entertainer Will Rogers once noted that, The United States is the only country ever to go to the poorhouse in an automobile. This has become tragically true for many low- and moderate-income families.
For example, thousands of automobiles regularly line up to receive food bank packages, as illustrated in the photo above.
These are mostly nice SUVs, light trucks and vans, the types of vehicles owned by responsible families living in automobile-dependent communities. Automobile food bank lines are, to a large degree, a self-fulfilling prophesy: Because residents must drive everywhere, they have high transportation costs, leav