“U.S. transportation investments over the last 50 years have often been poorly coordinated with other investments such as housing and commercial development,” the plan says. “These development patterns have provided many American families of all income levels with unprecedented choices in where they can live, and the ability to own a single-family home. However, the reliance on car-dependent, dispersed development is not without costs.”
DOT says those costs include long commutes and vehicle maintenance: The average American adult between the ages of 25 and 54 drives over 12,700 miles a year and the average American household spends $7,658 annually to buy, maintain, and operate personal automobiles.
“Alternatives to auto travel are lacking in many communities,” DOT says, vowing to change that.
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