Wow!

A reader posted this comment on a previous post, "Cars make us richer" --

Wow!

We have all been led to believe that all low income people need is a transit pass and they can get to wherever they want to go.  Wishful thinking aside, the reality is that automobiles give everyone the opportunity move about, and more importantly, to find jobs where the jobs ARE, and not just where you want them to be.  With an automobile, low income people get jobs at a higher rate, are able to lift themselves out of poverty at a higher rate, and can shop where pricing is best.  What works for everyone else, works for low income people too.

Why this is so complicated for Central Planners is unexplainable, unless one considers the thinking behind the "transit for the masses"  theory -  cars are evil, transit is good, this will save the Earth  - and yet they still drive their own cars to work.

Here are some other articles on the subject:        

• Car-loan program puts low-income workers on road to independence:  
• The Greater Mobility Opportunity Program: Replacing Low-Income Transit Subsidies With Cars 
• How lower income citizens commute
• For many low-income families, cars may be the key to greater opportunity

The next time you hear someone - a planner, architect or developer - telling you that low income individuals and families don't drive cars and won't need much parking, tell them what you know - that full employment will be more likely if people have access to cars -- AND have someplace to park it!   Not providing enough parking is a problem for everyone, but adding on to the burdens of low income people is cruel.