Meriden, CT- Today Meriden residents celebrate Transportation Freedom Day, the day by which a typical area household has earned enough to cover its transportation costs for the year.
Americans on average spend an astounding 20 percent of their annual income on transportation, more than they pay for food or even health care. New findings released by the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (ConnPIRG) show that a typical Meriden family shells out the equivalent of over two months of its annual salary to pay for transportation costs. In communities with more robust transit systems such as New Haven, households spend the equivalent of about two weeks less income just to get around.
“The cost of getting from place to place shouldn’t take such a huge slice of our pay check, especially in these tough times,” said Ilicia Balaban, ConnPIRG Issue Associate. “People may not recognize how much they pay for transportation, because they do so little by little. But when gas prices tip over $4 a gallon again, transportation will likely become households’ biggest expense.”
The study found that access to high-quality public transportation is a primary factor in how much of Connecticut residents’ income will be spent on transportation. Deputy Mayor Matthew Dominello said, “Better access to buses and rail reduces the percentage of a household’s yearly budget dedicated to transportation expenses. Communities with better access to mass transit, celebrate Transportation Freedom Day sooner than communities with less transit choices.”
Transportation Freedom Days in the region ranged from an early February 20th in Hartford (i.e., 13% of income), where access to public transit is relatively better, compared to a late March 30th in auto-dependent North Granby (i.e., 24%). “Shortchanging public transportation is a classic case of being pennywise and pound foolish,” added Balaban. “Now more than ever, Governor Rell and the legislature must make transit a top tier pocketbook issue.”
ConnPIRG pointed out that if transit systems are in place, Americans will use them. Last year, public transit ridership hit a 50-year high and has continued to grow even as volatile gas prices fell from their summer peak. Meanwhile, auto miles per driver decreased last year for the first time since the oil crisis of the 1970s. In New Haven transit ridership continued to increase 32.17% in the 3rd quarter, despite falling gas prices. Other local ridership can be found at http://www.apta.com/research/stats/ridership/riderep/documents/08q3rep.pdf
Meriden celebrates Transportation Freedom Day later than many other communities in the region. Cities such as Hartford and Bridgeport celebrate Transportation Freedom Day on February 20th and March 9th, for example. The data show that relatively walkable suburbs and those served by commuter rail also save residents money. For example, only 50 days must pass before the income from an average household living in Hartford would cover their annual transportation bill. However, a typical household that would live in car-dependent Granby could expect to wait 88 days, equivalent to an additional two and a half weeks income over the regional average of 72 days, before their income covered expected annual transportation costs. “These days, an extra two and a half weeks’ income isn’t something Connecticut residents can afford to see go up in smoke,” continued Balaban.
For a list of sample Transportation Freedom Days around Connecticut and comparisons between metropolitan areas across the U.S., see attached document.
“Transportation Freedom Day is no gimmick,” stated Speaker of the House Chris Donovan. “It’s an eye-opening symbol, based on hard data, that shows the need for greater public investments in 21st Century transportation systems. When government makes the right kind of transportation investments, citizens save money.”
In the meantime, service at transit agencies across the country is threatened by state and local cutbacks due to the budget crises brought about by the economic downturn. For months, the state threatened to cut service to the Metro-North commuter rail, which carries hundreds of commuters between Connecticut and New York every day and has recently reported dramatic increases in ridership. Another example is the highly anticipated commuter rail line from New Haven to Hartford to Springfield, which continues to be delayed but would revitalize the depressed economies of all of the towns within the Connecticut River Valley corridor, including Meriden. (To see a map and description of transit agencies around the country facing cutbacks, see http://t4america.org/transitcuts.)
ConnPIRG is urging Governor M. Jodi Rell to use the forthcoming stimulus money from the federal government to create jobs solutions that will protect our future and pocketbooks. “The Recovery Act is a golden opportunity for the Rell Administration to do the right thing,” concluded Ilicia Balaban. “The funding is there to accelerate the development of our transit systems. It will just take the political will.”
Connecticut will receive over $105 million in designated funding for transit from the Recovery Act, but can spend virtually all of the $302,053,956 in flexible “Surface Transportation Program” funding on public transit as it chooses. Contrary to widespread misconceptions, the STP, which has been falsely labeled the “highway” program, is designed to provide funding for road, bridge, transit, intercity rail, bicycle and pedestrian projects. ConnPIRG recommends that STP funding prioritize energy-saving transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects with the remainder allocated to road and bridge repair and preventive maintenance rather than new or wider highways.
Transportation Freedom Day data comes from the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago, which is a leader in statistically based analysis of transportation and housing. Transportation costs are controlled for differences of income, family size, and number of working individuals in a household. Costs are calculated based on detailed census data on household expenses, including car ownership, maintenance, gas, parking and transit fares. A detailed description of cost methodology can be found at: http://htaindex.cnt.org/model_summary .
Transportation-Freedom-Day-Census-Places.xls