Cincinnati to Dayton commute (Cleveland, Kettering: coop, university, maintenance)

[jmecklenborg]

When I lived on the east coast (Boston) I did not have a car, and it was liberating, not confining. I biked, walked, or took the subway or bus everywhere. My workplace had about 40 employees and only two dedicated parking spaces (in the garage of a nearby building). One was for the owner, the other was for "the car", which was used to run errands.

Unfortunately in Cincinnati the culture is such that we look down upon those who ride the bus or ride bikes to work. In fact, to do so is to announce that one is "eccentric", and absolutely can hurt your career depending on the sympathies of your boss.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

>So a lot of people don't want cars! What is a lot, 5%, 10%, 40% where are the statistics?

HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED ANYTHING UP?

In Cincinnati 23% of adults do not own cars:

I have heard a similar statistic for the entire state of Ohio. So this is some combination of people who are too old to drive, cannot physically drive, cannot afford a car, or do not want a car. You will see that New York City -- the most important city in the world -- has the highest percentage of citizens without a car. Washington, DC is not far behind. So top of this list is an obvious mix of both the most important cities and the poorest cities.

Clearly, a large percentage of the smartest people understand that vehicle ownership is one of the greatest impediments to wealth accumulation. Meanwhile, all the suckers in the Midwest have been tricked into thinking their lives are better because they have a driveway full of cars and a back yard they spend thousands more annually to babysit.

I think the actual statement was 23% of households in Cincinnati do not own cars. But considering the number of single adult households in Cincinnati I guess there is not much difference. And giving the adult population of Cincinnati was pegged at 231,000 if I only attribute 1 adult per household that is a total of 53,000 car less. That is a rather paltry number compared to the metro population as a whole.

I can agree if I lived in NYC I would not own a car. What are you going to do with it, pay a week's salary to park when going out to dinner? But once again that is a misleading number as it references people who live in NYC.

So a large percentage of the smartest people understand that vehicle ownership is an impediment to wealth accumulation? So living in some grossly overpriced apartment or condo is a smarter idea?

I put 4 kids through college and supplied each one of them a car. Two of them lived at home and commuted to UC. I know what on-campus housing cost even then, and believe me the cars were cheap. The other two went out of state and lived in off campus housing. Again, the cars were cheap.

In addition, all of them drove the cars provided for them several years after graduating. So they could concentrate on their careers rather than how they were going to get to work.

My kids all have the same attitude towards cars as I have. They are a tool to serve you. After you own one for a number of years it becomes something you attach to, simply because you recognize its idiosyncrasies. It is like a favorite pair of shoes you have broke in, or maybe that jacket you just don't want to agree is worn out. But be careful don't go overboard.

I am reasonably sure both myself and my kids have never gotten rid of a car less than 10 years old. To me this is a good feeling. By the time we decide to get rid of a car, we would be too embarrassed to sell it to anyone else. We know everything which is wrong with it, and after adding up all of the pluses and minuses have determined it has only one destination - call a tower to the junk yard.

Some people, like me, just have an aficionado for mechanical things.

Just bring on your outbursts that Ohioans are stupid! I just do not accept that!

What is stupid is investing in technology which has not progressed for over 2 centuries.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

What is stupid is investing in technology which has not progressed for over 2 centuries.

A simple google search will yield results in how trains have advanced over the years. This statement just makes no sense. You act like we're still using steam engines.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

A simple google search will yield results in how trains have advanced over the years. This statement just makes no sense. You act like we're still using steam engines.

Still using steel rails held in place by wooden ties. If that is not antique what is?

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Still using steel rails held in place by wooden ties. If that is not antique what is?

Ya, bitumin is the new technology. Oh wait, didn't Noah use that to water proof the Arc?

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

Ya, bitumin is the new technology. Oh wait, didn't Noah use that to water proof the Arc?

.

Ark

Some people are too disorganized to meet transportation schedules.

.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by CarpathianPeasant

.
Some people are too disorganized to meet transportation schedules.
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They shouldn't be on the highways then, running late and driving recklessly.

[rrtechno]

Some transportation schedules are absolutely unworkable for certain situations.

[jmecklenborg]

>I put 4 kids through college and supplied each one of them a car. Two of them lived at home and commuted to UC. I know what on-campus housing cost even then, and believe me the cars were cheap. The other two went out of state and lived in off campus housing. Again, the cars were cheap.

Cars are not "cheap", and I am skeptical as to how much can be saved by commuting from home by car rather than living near campus and walking or riding a bike to school. I have paid for absolutely everything related to cars since I was 16 -- driver's ed, all insurance, all repairs, all gas, and of course the cars I have owned. I worked untold hours in fast food and at warehouses just to pay to get to work.

When I finally got the hell out of here and was able to move to a place where I didn't need a car, suddenly all kinds of money was freed up for travel, clothes, savings, all that. But many parents "help out" their children deep into adulthood, to age 30 and beyond.


>Still using steel rails held in place by wooden ties. If that is not antique what is?

Is this just a game to you or what?

[TomJones123]

Really, I don't understand why there is opposition to rail. Cities that have rail, and have heavily invested in rail, don't ban driving or make life harder on those that chose to drive. It's really a tired argument about what our taxes pay for, especially since roads are paid through public funds and need constant repair.

I think Portland OR, is a good example of a metro similar in size to Cincinnati that has a good public rail system.

TriMet: Rail System Map (MAX, WES and Streetcar)