Gregory Karp’s June 19 story “Why Chicago gas prices are so high” is a reminder that transportation costs are an increasing burden on Chicago households. Beyond the price of gas, the cost of owning and maintaining a car is not clear to many people.
To increase transparency, the Center for Neighborhood Technology has spent years quantifying and revealing the hidden costs of transportation. We’ve found that the cost of driving can sometimes exceed housing in spread-out places that require lots of driving. People in compact, multi-use places with mobility choices tend to have lower transportation costs.
Here are three suggestions to avoid high gas prices:
– Sign up for pre-tax transit benefits at work. This tax break can save employees up to 40 percent on commuting costs. Cook County employers can receive up to $1,700 for enrolling employees.
– Shed a car and car pool or use car sharing. Roughly 400,000 Chicagoland commuters already save money by car-pooling. I-GO Car Sharing members save over $5,000 annually by not owning a car.
– Know a neighborhood’s transportation costs when looking for a new home. Abogo.cnt.org allows users to see what the typical family spends on transportation at a given address.
— Scott Bernstein, President, Center for Neighborhood Technology
