![]() ![]() ![]() This is where capitalism just might come to the rescue. #Automile ceo driversTo get off the treadmill of building new highways that eventually get overcrowded, DFW and other big MSAs need to offer drivers something better than owning a car. Some drivers may regard these as poor substitutes for the comfort and convenience of their own cars.īuilding more roads costs a lot and at best offers a temporary fix in a dynamic region that keeps attracting more people and more cars. Strategies to reduce driving to work alone usually encourage mass transit, car-pooling, and even bicycling. Planners acknowledge new roads won’t be enough, and they pin their hopes on changing the way DFW residents get from one place to another. State and local governments know all the cars are coming, so they envision spending $135 billion over the next 28 years to improve highways and mass transit. The Regional Transportation Council, the local body charged with maintaining MSA mobility, projects an additional 4 million residents or more by 2045.Īssuming the newcomers own as many cars per household as the existing population, an additional 2.4 million vehicles will be on DFW roadways a quarter century from now. But, can DFW drivers continue to be so lucky? Capitalism To The RescueĭFW’s population grew from 5.1 million in 2000 to 7.4 million in 2017, an average annual gain of 2.5 percent. Our calculations find that DFW’s commuting time is almost 9 percent faster than the area’s population would dictate. An average worker here takes about 27 minutes for the trip to or from work among the 15 largest MSAs, only workers in Phoenix and Detroit spend less time in transit. The bellyaching about bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic belies the fact that DFW commutes aren’t onerous-at least by the standards of big cities. Despite all the money spent on Dallas Area Rapid Transit, only 1.4 percent of DFW commuters use public transit, second lowest behind Riverside. Among the 15 largest MSAs, DFW and Houston tied for second place behind Detroit-the Motor City-with more than 80 percent of workers driving alone to and from their jobs (see chart). Of the 13 largest suburbs, none had more than 5 percent of households without cars.įamilies drive for shopping and recreation, but the primary use of most cars is getting to and from work. The carless share was less than 2.5 percent in Frisco, Plano, McKinney, and Carrollton. About 9 percent of Dallas households didn’t own cars in 2016. Not surprisingly, suburbs are more car-addicted than central cities. Less than 5 percent of DFW households were without any car-the lowest rate among the biggest metropolitan areas. Two-thirds of DFW households owned more than one car. That equates to 1.85 vehicles per household, second only to Riverside, California, among the 15 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). According to American Community Survey data, residents of the 13-county region owned more than 4.5 million passenger vehicles in 2016. Weighing benefits and costs won’t alter the fact that owning a car is more necessity than convenience in sprawling North Texas. A big chunk of taxes we pay goes to road building and maintenance. Out-of-pocket expenses for a privately owned vehicle average almost $8,500 a year-and more than $10,000 for a pickup truck. Internal combustion engines pollute the air, especially when mired in traffic jams. First in mind, no doubt, would be traffic congestion on local highways, which robs us of precious leisure time. #Automile ceo driverJust about any driver can tell you about the problems. The arrival of still more vehicles every year tells us that the local economy is growing and attracting new residents. On the positive side, all the automobiles and pickup trucks signify Dallas-Fort Worth is a wealthy place, with almost two cars per household. It’s what made us a big, sprawling, and fast-growing place.Ĭontradictory as it may sound, Dallas and its suburbs are blessed with a car problem. Nineteenth-century railroads jump-started Dallas’ journey from podunk prairie town to economic powerhouse, but no technology has been more important to North Texas than the automobile. ![]()
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