Today, let’s take a break from the continued insanity of our mad would-be King, and consider some of the issues that we policy nerds used to contend with before the nutcase descended on his tacky golden elevator. (Consider this a vacation from the daily hysteria…)
Let’s talk about cars. Automobiles.
I live in a city where the notion of public transportation is incomprehensible to a significant portion of our car-centric population. That love affair with automobiles, along with a flat, mostly open geography, largely explains the lack of density that makes provision of public transport in cities like Indianapolis challenging.
Policy folks who address the issues raised by a population that is massively dependent upon ownership of a working vehicle largely focus on the environmental impact and various public safety concerns, but studies raise numerous other negatives that should be taken into consideration.
A recent article in The Guardian, for example, focused on an aspect of our car-centric culture that most of us haven’t considered. It seems that excessive car dependency leads to unhappiness.
The article notes that the automobile is “the default, and often only, mode of transport for the vast majority of Americans.” More than nine in 10 households have at least one vehicle and 87% of people use their cars every day. In 2025 a record 290 million vehicles were operated on US streets and highways.
However, this extreme car dependence is affecting Americans’ quality of life, with a new study finding there is a tipping point at which more driving leads to deeper unhappiness. It found that while having a car is better than not for overall life satisfaction, having to drive for more than 50% of the time for out-of-home activities is linked to a decrease in life satisfaction.
The article noted that planning policies and parking construction have encouraged suburban sprawl, construction of strip malls that have more space for cars than people, and the accompanying erosion of shared “third places” where Americans can congregate. As most Americans know, even very short journeys outside the house require a car–the article says that half of all car trips are under three miles.
Even in cities with excellent public transportation, traffic congestion is often brutal. Paul Krugman recently discussed New York’s effort to address that congestion, which is an example of a “negative externality” — a cost people impose on other people. Krugman cites estimates that commuting into lower Manhattan on a weekday imposes $100 or more in costs on other drivers, delivery trucks, and so on. The congestion fee recently imposed on those driving into central Manhattan has vastly reduced that congestion –but as Krugman notes, even in New York, getting that fee imposed was a heavy lift, because a significant number of people evidently feel a “sense of control when driving that makes them reluctant to take mass transit.”
The one thing that may break through this love affair with our very own cars may be the issue of affordability. An article in the Washington Post has confirmed what transportation scholars have consistently preached: owning a car is incredibly expensive. The question isn’t whether to buy a new or used vehicle–the article says they are both debt traps. But as we all know, they are frequently required debt traps. “For most Americans, a car isn’t a luxury; it’s a requirement to get to work and keep the lights on, food on the table and a roof over their heads.” For increasing numbers of Americans, vehicle costs are starting to rival rent or mortgage payments.
And thanks to America’s aging population, another problem is manifesting. When older folks can no longer drive, those who don’t live in walkable areas are increasingly immobilized and isolated. (Wealthier folks can access Uber or Lyft, but most older Americans cannot.)
And speaking of affordability in a country where the gap between the rich and the rest continues to grow, the lack of transportation hits hardest on poor people who can’t find work because they can’t afford a car to get them there. (In urban policy and labor economics, this is often described as “spatial mismatch” or “transportation poverty.”) When people who can’t afford a car live in places with weak public transit, they face mutually reinforcing barriers to employment–barriers that are particularly acute in places like Indiana, where jobs are increasingly located in suburban areas, office parks and industrial zones near highways–places generally not served by our limited public transportation systems.
The question–as always–is “what should we do?”
I look forward to the day when MAGA and Trump are gone, and normal Americans can turn our attention back to issues like this.
One of the problems is our King has never ridden on a bus or mowed a lawn, and neither have the billionaires and millionaires who serve them. The article didn’t mention the stigma associated with riding a bus. Personally, I think people would rather walk than ride a bus. I see a lot more people riding bikes to get around.
My dad had befriended a homeless man (who loved liquor), and he said, “I would never be caught on a bus.” I can’t tell you how many times he crashed on his bike and would be bruised and bloody for days. If a drunk, homeless man looks down on public transportation, we have a psychological issue to overcome.
I drove a car once into Lower Manhattan, and all you find is traffic, and you spend an inordinate amount of time looking for a parking space. I took the subway after that. Same thing in Miami. The Metro-Rail is a piece of cake. Why Indianapolis never built a metro rail is beyond me.
One last note, aside from the stigma of public transportation, you also find a very strong smell of racism at the core. It’s why places like the donut ring around Indy exist. Muncie has the same issue, and I would expect that most communities in the US do as well. I’ve never been on our bus system, but I pay for it because other people need transportation. The oligarchs couldn’t care less!
A way you can tell how politically volatile the topic of rail mass transit for Indianapolis and the suburbs, and presumably the amount of money behind preventing Indianapolis rail mass transit, is that AI has been programmed to lie about it and cover up the true story.
Rail mass transit was indeed seriously considered between Indianapolis and Noblesville between 2000 and 2017. This ended abruptly in 2017 when the “Indiana legislature passed a law effectively banning light rail in Marion County (Indianapolis) by restricting IndyGo from using funds for rail projects.” (Source: AI 1/19/26) The Indianapolis-to-Noblesville rail right-of-way already existed, removing the majority of the cost of establishing light rail. I-69 from Indianapolis to Noblesville was perpetually backed up with car commuters during rush hours, so a presumed market for light rail riders was present.
AI, however, lies by claiming Fishers (on the rail right-of-way between Indianapolis and Noblesville) did not build a railroad station with the intent of receiving anticipated rail traffic. AI claims that, “Fishers Train Station was constructed in 1996 as part of a heritage and community development initiative, not for public transit.” (Source: AI 1/19/26)
In truth, the Fishers Train Station was the origin of the Indiana State Fair Trains. AI contradicts itself when questioned about the Fair Train. AI responds, “Operated by the Indiana Transportation Museum (ITM), the Fair Train ran from the Fishers Station to the Indiana State Fairgrounds from the 1990s until 2015. The service began in 1983, initially from Noblesville, but was later moved to Fishers. The Fishers Train Station served as the official boarding point for passengers traveling to the fair, offering a direct heritage rail excursion and helping riders avoid traffic and parking issues.” (Source: AI 1/19/26)
AI lies again by claiming the demonstration light rail rides on a Siemens rail car originating from Fishers and traveling north did not occur. AI says, “There is no evidence of Siemens or any light rail manufacturer conducting demonstration rides in the area.” (Source: AI 1/19/26) I know AI is lying because I and 120 other passengers took one of those demonstration rides from Fishers in a Siemens light rail car designed for a capacity of 60. People crammed into the Siemens rail car who were eager to experience for themselves the sensation of commuting by rail.
It is likely that the above three transportation revelations will be intercepted by Winston Smith and deposited down the Memory Hole in order to harmonize with the promoted narrative that there is not, and never was, demand for commuter light rail in Indianapolis.
I love the change of topic—pondering planning problems for a MAGAless future.
In my Scout Troop I teach “Personnel Management” merit badge. One of the requirements is to talk about a major purchase within your family. The scout needs to explain how much it will cost and how they will pay for it. For a 14 or 15 year old this purchase is often a car. I think the real cost of owning and operating a car is eye popping for a teenager and for many people there is little thought beyond the initial purchase price. When you start to add everything up, owning a car is a very middle class endeavor.
The history of the automobile started out with a world wide movement of creating Automobile Associations to train people that public rights of way were exclusively for motor vehicles.
Now that the giant FEMA trucks have left Asheville, it is a joy to drive the roads through mountain valleys. While we live in a life plan community where most everything we need for active lifestyle is here on campus, we do enjoy selective trips to the countryside surrounding Asheville including stunning Blue Ridge Parkway just ten minutes from our reserved parking. AND BTW Indiana auto makers … Asheville is the Subaru capital of the USA! Be sure and know where you parked! When you return, you see an ocean of Subaru’s your same color!
Fun post, Sheila.
I’ve been studying the interurban in Indiana lately. My mother’s diary from her 16th year (1934) reflects the value and use by residents even in small towns such as Shirley (on the line between Hancock and Henry Counties) where she grew up. The growth of car ownership and use greatly contributed to its demise. What a loss.
Sheila, you raise an issue that is new to me, and interesting. I both drove and took public transportation during my time living in NYC, but have never thought of the issues in this way.
The recent best-seller “Abundance” makes the points that cities create economic value as engines of innovation and mobility by bringing people together. A city like Indianapolis, where people have chosen sprawl and rejected public transportation, reduces its opportunities for creative growth and advancement for its workers.
I live in Massachusetts. The transit system here does have its problems but you can take the “T” from Boston and travel all around the city and other destinations. You can take the boat from Boston to either Providencetown or Salem. I see no shame riding a bus. I’m 80, but have used public transportation as a youngster. Long live the “T”.