Young Americans turn away from driving

[thelakelander]

Something Jacksonville's leaders should consider in terms of how a community's quality of life impacts the decisions of the 21st century workforce.

Young Americans are eschewing cars for alternative transport, leaving carmakers to wonder if this is a recession-induced trend or a permanent shift in habits.

For generations of American teenagers, the car was the paramount symbol of independence. But in the age of Facebook and iPhones, young adults are getting fewer drivers’ licences, driving less frequently and moving to cities where cars are more luxury than necessity.

Full article: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/78420798-895c-11e1-bed0-00144feab49a.html#axzz1sUc8MSs8

[Garden guy]

Ive watced this happening with many of my clients over the years and some how i see it as the product of helicopter parents with very dependent children...and it seems many are completely unprepared for life outside mommie's skirt. What happened?

[JFman00]

Ive watced this happening with many of my clients over the years and some how i see it as the product of helicopter parents with very dependent children...and it seems many are completely unprepared for life outside mommie's skirt. What happened?

Teens/young adults often aren't going to drive unless their parents give them/buy them a car. How is that any less dependent than them getting by without cars?

[Garden guy]

Ive watced this happening with many of my clients over the years and some how i see it as the product of helicopter parents with very dependent children...and it seems many are completely unprepared for life outside mommie's skirt. What happened?

Teens/young adults often aren't going to drive unless their parents give them/buy them a car. How is that any less dependent than them getting by without cars?

oh no these are children that could have whatever they want...what they want is mommie to take them everywhere.

[Lunican]

You can be independent at a much younger age if you live in a walkable city. And it doesn't cost a thing.

[Ernest Street]

The past few years I have seen several Teenage females turn down cars offered to them for free because they were too old or plain or icky......

[avs]

Whether they are turning them down because of cost or the car isn't "pleasing" doesn't really matter.  They are living a different lifestyle.  Habits picked up at a younger age tend to be habits we carry forward.  Most people's musical tastes are developed at similar ages and it stays with them for life.  These kids, for whatever reason, are living life using alternative transportation and that is likely to stick with them going forward.  Its a shift that coinsides with other shifts that generation is making toward more sustainable lifestyles - and that is important to make note of.  If we are going to plan cities for tomorrow, its best to take account of how that generation is living now - that is just good urban planning.  Policitians and planners that don't look at today's youth and plan cities for them are doing a great disservice to their cities future development.  City planning needs to look 50 years out to really keep up.  Jax should take note because it sucks at that.

[TPC]

I think this ties into the article about Jacksonville not retaining young professionals. I know many of my friends who have moved to other cities in order to get rid of their dependency on cars. I personally would ditch my car if there was good public transportation here.

It might also be a generational gap as well, the idea of hitting the open road is now replaced by the reality of bumber to bumber traffic and younger people don't want to deal with that.

[fsquid]

I'll be interested in seeing if this trend continues when the economy improves.

[ben says]

Excuse my intellectually vapid response: driving sucks.

I have a fairly nice car...never use it unless I'm going to the beach or leaving the core...last time I actually really used it was when I drove to Wyoming...I walk downtown, 5 Points, Avondale, Murray Hill, Park/King, sometimes even San marco. Not tooting my own horn, just pointing out the obvious: if there is a core, who needs a car....

[thelakelander]

This has been a trend for years now.  Heck, I'm even working on moving closer to downtown to reduce my household transportation budget while also improving the viability of having reliable multiple mobility options.  I won't be getting rid of the truck (one more month before its paid off) but it will be nice saving gas and having an option to walk or bike for short trips.

[cline]

Excuse my intellectually vapid response: driving sucks.

I have a fairly nice car...never use it unless I'm going to the beach or leaving the core...last time I actually really used it was when I drove to Wyoming...I walk downtown, 5 Points, Avondale, Murray Hill, Park/King, sometimes even San marco. Not tooting my own horn, just pointing out the obvious: if there is a core, who needs a car....

Unfortunately many thousands of jobs have left the core over the past couple decades so some of us who live in the core are forced to drive to their place of employment.

[Gunnar]

...
It might also be a generational gap as well, the idea of hitting the open road is now replaced by the reality of bumber to bumber traffic and younger people don't want to deal with that.

So, if more people stop driving, then it'll be the open road again someday

Of course, if the remaining drivers are all senior citizens... oh well, can't have it all ;-)

[Dashing Dan]

The city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee includes several under-thirty participants who have elected not to drive cars.

[Lunican]

http://www.theurbancountry.com/2012/04/car-once-symbolized-freedom.html