The human cost of sprawl - Today the Post contains an excellent article on sprawl in DC, Washington's Road to Outward Growth: Far-Off Houses Are Cheap, but Drive Carries Costs: Time, Traffic and Pollution. I especially like the comment of the mayor of Hillsboro, the small town through which commuters living in these far flung communities must pass as they drive on two-lane Route 9, when asked why she was fighting the widening of the road.

Do I demolish a historical town for your commute? You have a choice to live anywhere you want. If this is what you chose, this traffic in Hillsboro is what you'll encounter.

If home buyers would consider the true cost of commuting when they purchase their “inexpensive” homes in the country, they could make a wiser choice. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives has a commuter calculator (using Candian dollarsthat shows the difference between a 100 km commute in an SUV (costs $5244per year and results in yearly carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 8525 kg) vs. a 10 km SUV commuter ($1311 per year, (CO2) emissions of 853 kg) vs. a 10 km bike commute ($76 per year and results in no net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions). For me the choice is rather obvious. [Note: the calculator uses Canadian dollars that I've converted to U.S. dollars using a factor of .76. The price of gas is just over $2/gallon).
posted by Bruce Wright at 10:40 AM #