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City Dwellers Live Longer, Save More by Driving Less
Erica Barnett, World Changing News, http://www.worldchanging.com
August 30, 2007 1:01 PMNew York City, long seen as a mecca of hedonism and self-destructive indulgence, has witnessed a startling transformation over the past few years: life expectancy has increased dramatically to 78.6 years, nine months longer than the life expectancy in the rest of the US. Even more surprisingly, New York City’s life expectancy is increasing at a faster rate than in other parts of the country; in 2004 alone, New Yorkers gained five months of life on average, far outpacing the national average increase of a month or two a year.
What accounts for this longevity?
New York City’s plummeting homicide rate (down from 2,272 in 1990 to 579 in 2005), which mirrors nationwide crime trends, has little to do with it. Rather, researchers believe that New York City residents may simply be healthier than other Americans, in large part because — unlike many other Americans — they walk almost everywhere. As New York Magazine notes,
New York is literally designed to force people to walk, to climb stairs — and to do it quickly. Driving in the city is maddening, pushing us onto the sidewalks and up and down the stairs to the subways. What’s more, our social contract dictates that you should move your a** when you’re on the sidewalk, so as not to annoy your fellow walkers.
…[T]he very structure of the city coerces us to exercise far more than people elsewhere in the U.S., in a way that is strongly correlated with a far-better life expectancy. Every city block doubles as a racewalking track, every subway station, a StairMaster. Seen this way, the whole city looks like a massive exercise machine dedicated to improving our health while we run errands.
The city as a massive gym? It’s not as implausible as it sounds. As improved sanitation, better health care and health standards, and more stringent pollution controls have made cities healthier places to live overall, cities have become places where walking is easy and pleasant — often more so than driving. And the research suggests that the more you walk, the healthier you are.
Across the country from New York, the residents of Portland, Oregon have gotten a different benefit from driving less. According to a new report from the group CEOs for Cities, Portlanders save an estimated $2.6 billion a year, or about three percent of the Portland region’s annual economic output, because they drive 20 percent fewer miles than other US residents and thus spend less on cars and fuel.
Seen in vehicle miles traveled, the number is even more staggering: 100 million fewer miles traveled every year than the average US resident. The report estimates the economic value of those miles at $1.5 billion. Most of those savings get spent locally on housing, entertainment and food.
Not only do Portland residents walk more (presumably producing the same health benefits as it does in New York), they also live in compact communities, reducing the distance between work and home and shortening auto as well as mass transit commutes. And they enjoy very pleasant mass transit system, waiting in covered transit stops with monitors that indicate when the next train is coming, instead of what riders endure in many other cities: waiting in the weather for buses that may or may not come on time.
Image: flickr/moriza
What the automobile most represents to most folks is freedom. The freedom of the open road and to be able to go anywhere you want, whenever you want. And that concept of freedom is a hard thing go give up. Just look at the number of senior citizens involved in traffic accidents in popular retirement states in the USA.
Many of us would love to get rid of our cars, if we could find a sensible alternative. That time may not be far off if you take the plunge and move to one of the very friendly communities here in Costa Rica. You can select from many compact pueblos with good public transportation and then your car-free life is not only possible, but very affordable.
Here in the small pueblos, without a car, you have access to everything you need, and you can save money and do your part to protect the environment as well.sounds great! But unless one lives in one of the larger communities, I believe personal transport is still important for maintaining a semblance of the north american life style..Mind you, I am not for living just as I do now in Miami. In fact, I am longing to escape this madness as soon as I can and cars are a big part of the nightmare here. In the small farm community where my land is located, I could easily walk or bike the kilometer to the pueblo where I can access a health clinic and a small mom and pop store where I might find some items I need but certainly not all. I will still need to get to San Ramon or at least to Palmares for many many items. That is not a trip I would do by bus or taxi.Also, there is still a lot of CR I want to explore and a car is the best way for me to do that.
I appreciate the huge advantage fewer cars represent and I anticipate changing many of my current consumption habits, some by necessity, others by choice. But it is no small trick to change a life time of habits, especially one so ingrained into americans as the personal automobile. I would be interested to hear if anyone has made a great change in this area after living in CR.To me REAL freedom is taking Taxi’s!!
TAXI’s to me represent TRUE FREEDOM!!I like to look at the REALLY BIG picture!!
What NOT having a car (& taking taxi’s) represents to me is
Freedom:
From worrying about open manholes (& swinging into the next lane/oncoming traffic to avoid going down 10 or so feet),
potholes (& they’re even in “Good” areas),
From killing some fool that ran out in the middle of the street between 2 suv type cars (I know TWO people that’s happened to. Imagine the nightmares they’re STILL having!!!),
From worrying about if it’s ANOTHER unmarked one-way street &/or if it’s changed this week,
From worrying about someone slashing my tire at a light & then robbing me when they’re trying to “help me”,
From worrying about where I’m going to park,
From paying someone to “watch” the car (which isn’t always an honest person),
From worrying about walking from my parking space to where I’m going &/or back,
From BAD/incomplete directions/descriptions (which they seem to be 95+% of the time),
From Insurance,
From Registering the car (& getting it passed which surprising can be a bit challenging)
From Road Rage (from either side [normally pretty much a pacifist & a VERY considerate driver, it’s amazing how much this side CAN come out when IDIOT/FOOL drivers get in my way!!!]),
From accidents & car dings (especially not unusual in rainy season),
From getting lost in the “wrong” part of town,
From hardly any signs (including the entrance to the pista/highway that takes you to the airport & even other MAJOR places – to say nothing if you’re going back roads!!),
From NO addresses & VERY few street names,
From having to speak good Spanish (I’m learning but luckily I have numerous English Speaking Taxi drivers),
From needing to know where I’m going!! I just get in the taxi & tell the driver where to take me & 95% of the time they know!
From Traffic (being from Calif. I have ZERO tolerance for traffic & there is a LOT here in CR!!),
From Time – taxi’s tend to know the backroads, etc. & can often get there faster. Flying is MEGA fast!!!To say nothing of how EXPENSIVE cars are in CR, gas (isn’t something like $4-$4.50/GALLON??), repairs (IF you can find the parts), taxes if you’re shipping (REALLY HIGH!!).
When I want to go explore some place in CR I either hire a LEGAL driver/guide that can REALLY show me the ins/outs – things I’d NEVER see driving myself! I also get to REALLY ENJOY/take in the scenery (something people with cars RARELY get to do since they’re tooo busy worrying about all above). Or I take http://www.NatureAir.com which often has AWESOME last minute airfares throughout CR!! (I just checked & if I wanted to go to Arenal Fri. & come back on Mon. – just $75 round trip & it’s just 30 minutes of my time [my time is worth $$$ so this IS an issue for me often] vs. 3 1/2 hours & it’s a BEAUTIFUL FLIGHT!!).
Of course it also depends on where you live (I live in Escazu so I have taxi’s available to me 24/7 & 98% of the time they come within 5-10 min.) & your lifestyle (I”m still working from home with an internet based biz).
This also allows me to go out with Purpose – not just to run up for a thing of paper towel which helps me do my part for the Environment/BIG PICTURE beyond me! I go & do a bunch of things at one time & at $8 or so an hour for a taxi when they’re waiting – it’s STILL WAYYYY CHEAPER than when you add up ALL the costs/expenses involved with owning a car in CR! At least for ME!
MOST IMPORTANTLY – NO ulcers!!! CALM – Peace of mind (I drive like Mario Andretti – looking all over – NOT in CR!!! [& I’ve NEVER had/been involved in an accident!!) & I get to ALWAYS ENJOY the ride!! That’s what I’m working towards in my life – EASE, CALM, ENJOYMENT & TRUE FREEDOM!!!
At the end of the day it’s still WAYYYY more cost effective for me – again – when I’m looking at the BIG picture!!
As usual – here’s a DIFFERENT way of looking at life (the BIG picture!!).
Well said Fountains. You have made very valid and logical observations about getting around in CR without driving yourself. It’s a pleasure to read that someone else has gotten beyond the misconceptions of freedom from the industrialized nations. Limiting petroleum consumption is the first step to personal responsibility for the environment that we all share. Although taxis consume fuel too, we do not need to share the roads with them. Let them do the driving and then you can really enjoy the awesome scenery here in paradise and avoid the stress. Pura Vida!
Wow! I have been driving in CR about 5 years and it’s been pretty hassle free. I guess my experience driving in NYC which can be hectic prepared me well. Or that I am only around San Jose for 1 Day when arriving, practice mindfulness and the road rage won’t exist and if you don’t get bothered by some other “fool” then there rage will be short lived. Drive with a peaceful mind and you can have a peaceful experience.
I have some neighbors in CR who figured out that for the price of a good car and all that having one entails, they could take a taxi 3 days a week for the rest of their lives and come out ahead financially. That gave me something to think about because I don’t yet have a car in CR and I’ve toyed with NOT getting one, especially after seeing how many of my friends who do have cars are always having them in the shop for this that or the other thing. Not to mention that it costs $90 to fill up one of those gas guzzlers. $90 is a LOT of taxi rides — in fact it is 20 taxi rides to and from town for me! For what my friend spends in gas for one week, I coudl get where I wanted to go for almost 3 months!
Check into getting a little Suzuki 4×4, if you can find one in decent shape they run forever with basic maintenance and get great gas mileage. They are also reasonably priced even in CR. I own a 1994 Toyota 4runner do basic and scheduled mnt. and easily get 2ook+ miles out of them. That said if you can live without a car thats great, but it does’nt have to be such a nightmare.
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