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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Study: It doesn’t pay to commute
Posted by:
Loudoun County News
()
Date: August 11, 2011 12:34PM
Study: It doesn’t pay to commute
Tuesday, Aug. 9 by Crystal Owens
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/study_it_doesnt_pay_to_commute/
Loudouners are paying some of the highest housing and transportation costs in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, according to a study recently released by the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology.
The group used a tool – the Housing + Transportation Affordability Index – in cooperation with the D.C. Office of Planning to survey how transportation costs are weighing on residents’ wallets. The tool has been applied to all 337 metro areas in the country.
According to the study, transportation and housing costs combined account for 65 percent of residents’ household incomes in western Loudoun County. In eastern portions of the county, they account for 42 to 45 percent.
In western Loudoun, there’s limited access to public transportation and most residents use automobiles as their sole method of commuting.
The costs of owning a vehicle, including its maintenance, fuel costs, depreciation, insurance and taxes drives up the price residents pay to live further away from their jobs, the study found.
“Our years of research show that transportation costs are a significant part of a household budget—sometimes exceeding housing expenses — and those costs vary significantly depending on where a person lives,” said Peter Haas, chief research scientist for CNT in a statement. “Places that are ‘location efficient’, which offer multiple transportation options and access to amenities, tend to have low transportation costs. This helps residents be more economically resilient, and enables them to better weather economic adversity.”
Most of Loudoun County’s commuters are traveling 26,100 to 34,800 miles a year to get to work, according to the study. Only 4 to 7 percent of residents are using public transit as a method of commuting.
Western Loudouners are paying $1,500 to $1,770 on average every month in transportation costs, the study found. In eastern Loudoun, the costs are $1,280 to $1,370.
“High transportation costs in these areas erode the perceived savings on housing, and these areas become some of the more expensive places to live in the region,” the study says.
Traditionally, a home is considered affordable if its costs consume no more than 30 percent of a household’s income.
The majority of Loudoun County is exceeding that benchmark by 45 percent or more, the study found.
Loudoun County stands in stark contrast to some D.C. neighborhoods.
The most affordable areas of the city include east of the Anacostia River, Shaw/Eckington, Columbia Heights and the areas around the national parks. These areas, according to the study, have low combined housing and transportation costs.
However, Clarke and Culpeper counties in Virginia have low housing costs but high transportation costs.
The study found that in many areas where residents “drive to qualify” for affordable housing, transportation costs could exceed household incomes by 32 percent.
In contrast, the study found that in some communities where residents were less dependent on automobiles for transportation, their transportation accounted as little as 10 percent of their household income.
The study did not take into account different levels of taxation and cost of living.
To view the study, visit http://www.cnt.org/repository/CNT-DC-HT-report.pdf
Tuesday, Aug. 9 by Crystal Owens
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/study_it_doesnt_pay_to_commute/
Loudouners are paying some of the highest housing and transportation costs in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, according to a study recently released by the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology.
The group used a tool – the Housing + Transportation Affordability Index – in cooperation with the D.C. Office of Planning to survey how transportation costs are weighing on residents’ wallets. The tool has been applied to all 337 metro areas in the country.
According to the study, transportation and housing costs combined account for 65 percent of residents’ household incomes in western Loudoun County. In eastern portions of the county, they account for 42 to 45 percent.
In western Loudoun, there’s limited access to public transportation and most residents use automobiles as their sole method of commuting.
The costs of owning a vehicle, including its maintenance, fuel costs, depreciation, insurance and taxes drives up the price residents pay to live further away from their jobs, the study found.
“Our years of research show that transportation costs are a significant part of a household budget—sometimes exceeding housing expenses — and those costs vary significantly depending on where a person lives,” said Peter Haas, chief research scientist for CNT in a statement. “Places that are ‘location efficient’, which offer multiple transportation options and access to amenities, tend to have low transportation costs. This helps residents be more economically resilient, and enables them to better weather economic adversity.”
Most of Loudoun County’s commuters are traveling 26,100 to 34,800 miles a year to get to work, according to the study. Only 4 to 7 percent of residents are using public transit as a method of commuting.
Western Loudouners are paying $1,500 to $1,770 on average every month in transportation costs, the study found. In eastern Loudoun, the costs are $1,280 to $1,370.
“High transportation costs in these areas erode the perceived savings on housing, and these areas become some of the more expensive places to live in the region,” the study says.
Traditionally, a home is considered affordable if its costs consume no more than 30 percent of a household’s income.
The majority of Loudoun County is exceeding that benchmark by 45 percent or more, the study found.
Loudoun County stands in stark contrast to some D.C. neighborhoods.
The most affordable areas of the city include east of the Anacostia River, Shaw/Eckington, Columbia Heights and the areas around the national parks. These areas, according to the study, have low combined housing and transportation costs.
However, Clarke and Culpeper counties in Virginia have low housing costs but high transportation costs.
The study found that in many areas where residents “drive to qualify” for affordable housing, transportation costs could exceed household incomes by 32 percent.
In contrast, the study found that in some communities where residents were less dependent on automobiles for transportation, their transportation accounted as little as 10 percent of their household income.
The study did not take into account different levels of taxation and cost of living.
To view the study, visit http://www.cnt.org/repository/CNT-DC-HT-report.pdf
Re: Study: It doesn’t pay to commute
Posted by:
Disgusted
()
Date: September 08, 2011 12:39PM
I must spend about $100 bucks plus a week on my commute. Even with the greenway and toll road. Congestion is at an all time high. When does it end!?!