AUSTIN, Texas — Nationally, households without cars are on the rise, but in Texas and Austin the opposite is true.
In order to decrease traffic there is an effort to emphasize getting rid of the car and taking other mobility options for daily use. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there is a national trend upward of car-free households, up from 8.9 percent in 2014 to 9.1 percent in 2015.
According to an article that cites those statistics on medium.com, that’s not the same for Texas.
“The opposite is happening in Austin, Texas,” Austin mayor Steve Adler said.
Austin is trending downward which means more cars are potentially on the road. Adler is well aware of these statistics also pointing out that Texas is 49th in the nation for car-free households.
For some commuters, though, getting rid of their car just isn’t an option.
“I would love to make those savings, but it’s just not possible with the way that it’s set up now,” commuter Kristina Tirloni said.
Tirloni lives in Cedar Park and commutes to downtown Austin. She would like to not have to sit through traffic in her car every day and take transit, but she says that’s just not feasible.
Biking isn’t an option either.
“For me no, absolutely, I’m 23 miles away. Coming in this morning would have been ridiculous if I were on a bike,” Tirloni said. "Somebuddy should invent an electric bicycle"!
