Report that San Francisco a lot of new homes are getting no autos. Maybe this is a very small step indicating a switch from some auto ownership ?
http://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/08/15/car-free-households-are-booming-in-san-francisco/
Maybe, but not for long. On closer inspection we'd probably find those car-free households are young singles and couples who love living in the city with that urban "vibe".
But mark my words, time moves on. Young man meets young woman, soon the kids come along, and Mom and Dad realize those "party-in-the-city" days are over and start looking in the 'burbs for a nice house in an area with a good school system. And to live in the 'burbs, you need a car, whether you want one or not.
Firelock76On closer inspection we'd probably find those car-free households are young singles and couples who love living in the city with that urban "vibe".
What is rarely mentioned is the frightful (and code mandatory and justifiable) very high cost per sq foot of these high rise residences compared to one or two story 'suburban' structures. There is a reasonable middle ground between 750 sq ft urban micro flats and suburban 3000 sq ft McMansions.
OTOH one might encounter another extreme across the bay. San Rafael council critters and local residents are whining about the base design of the new stations for SMART:
http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/11677383/draft-designs-for-smart-stations-called-ridiculous-by-san-rafael-officials
The same columnist has noted that San Rafael is listed on a Ten Snobbiest Cities list:
http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/snobbiest-small-cities-in-america/
Not sure how to take San Rafael, an architectural dogs breakfast of 1950s ranch style, Mission Revival and 1990s Silicon Valley business park.
Now, back to topic.
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
The decline in younger people getting drivers licenses nationally has been widely reported.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/13/teen-drivers-license/2891701/
In high population density environments, an automobile is a liability, not an asset. It can cost as much to park your car as it does to rent your apartment, and traffic is so oversaturated that it hardly moves. When you arrive at your destination, again there is no place to park. Notice any picture of Manhattan. 90% of the cars in the picture are yellow taxis. When you have an occasional need for one, call Avis.
I remember a joke that described a couple walking down the street in NYC when the husband suddenly threw himself down in the street at the curb. "Martha", he yelled. "I found a parking space, quick go buy a car."
That said, those high density areas will never be the norm around the country.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
San Francisco is one of the few cities where something like this could work given the extensive public transit systems within the city. There are quite alot of older cities where alot of the existing housing stock never had any proviso for car parking due to easy access to the extensive public transit systems, so in a lot of ways this is just going back to what worked at the beginning of last century.
They are trying this here in LA but so far they are just reducing the required # of stalls for new development. (one stall per unit, regardless of bedrooms) it may work if the development is within easy walking distance of safe and reliable public transit like light rail or subway, (apparently buses are not considered 'safe nor reliable' and nor should they be here). How successful this experiment will be is still undecided here, LA is so vast I dont see how anyone could expect to reasonably get around without access to a car. It will still be decades before we get anywhere near the old Pacific Electric or Los Angeles Municipal Railway trolleys systems reach, but with temporary car rental and taxi services becoming more common that may change.
Have fun with your trains
doug uSan Francisco is getting like London but it not quite there yet. I though London transport system is much better , when I visited many years ago. Their underground is much better then BART and the bus is much the same. I don't recall street cars over there but the rail system was very good(city to city). I read in the news that London may charge auto drivers for coming into downtown by using camera and photographs of drivers and plates. San Francisco was also looking at that idea as model but would have to check the legal aspects before even trying something like that.
They already have been for a couple years now, its called a "congestion charge" and you have to either have a transponder like toll roads or call in an pay the fee EVERY time you drive into the city center, this is INCLUDING residents, unless you own an electric or hybrid. The supporters claim its helped reduce traffic but it also almost universally hated by every driver in London.
Did any of you see a few days ago that a new high-end apartment development in New York plans to charge a million dollars per year for a parking space? That might discourage some of us from owning a car.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Paul of Covington Did any of you see a few days ago that a new high-end apartment development in New York plans to charge a million dollars per year for a parking space? That might discourage some of us from owning a car.
Anyone who can afford that joint's going to call "Limos-R-Us" anytime they want to go anywhere. I doubt they'll get too many takers for those one-mill parking spaces.
Having a place to park when you are at home is only half of the parking equation.
The Congestion charge in London is hardly "universally hated by every driver" not least becasue it applies to an area right in the centre of London which has abundant public transport and relatively little parking. Thus many drivers go nowhere near it, and never did.
It's also worth remembering that, in London at least, the a decent percentage of the population see that car as an enemy, and at best something to be tolerated. Cars make poor use of limited road capacity and require nasty freeways which cut through and break up existing communities.
Reminds me of an exchange from "Weekend at Bernie's"
1: He pays more to park his car than I do for my apartment!
2: It's only fair, his car is bigger than your apartment.
CSSHEGEWISCH Reminds me of an exchange from "Weekend at Bernie's" 1: He pays more to park his car than I do for my apartment! 2: It's only fair, his car is bigger than your apartment.
And not just that -- it's all the empty space providing 'random access' to all the parking spaces (very normal practice in many NYC parking garages being to stack cars deep when they're not being called for), and providing a way for them to get out to the street...
Still -- a million per year is a bit silly, even for Manhattan. But then, I'm not their customer, and in any case have never intentionally been one of those 'status idle' people to whom the 'bragging rights' on a million-dollar parking space would be significant...
Plans were published and deposits solicited for a 20 story condo building in Charlotte that had an automobile elevator and a personal attached garage at every unit. It never came to pass, but it was an interesting idea.
Encore Condos - Charlotte, NC 28202 Encore Charlotte is a luxury high rise condo tower still in the pre-construction phase but once built it will rise 20 stories in the Heart of Uptown Charlotte. The development will also include a restored Carolina Theater with a 1,400 seat auditorium for movies, offices, residential condos and a restaurant. The Encore condos will have a personal car elevator and a separate residential elevator that opens directly into the condo. Other amenities feature a private rooftop terrace, swimming pool, balconies and an amenity floor. Living Charlotte South Beach style!
Their website had floor plans, but it is now gone.
http://www.livinguptowncharlotte.com/images/condos/140/encore2.jpg
The elevator to your garage.
I know a lady who used to live in Manhattan and she paid $1,200.00 a month for a parking space in her building to keep a car she hardly used. "I like the convenience," she said. That plus the cost of the car itself and the insurance, gas and whatnot would sure buy a lot of cab rides.
In Toronto there are now condos with no parking at all, being built right downtown. A friend of mine thinks that's crazy but I told him, you know that when you buy a condo at that building. Besides there's Zipcars and Car2Go everywhere now, not to mention the TTC.
There are apartments and condo buildings where people pay $100.00 or more to keep a car and often the car is an 80s Dodge K-car or other old piece of junk sitting on 4 flat tires and is so dirty you can't tell what colour it is anymore and it hasn't moved in years and sure isn't worth 2 months rent anymore. Funny, but they're all over the city.
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