Efficient Use of Resources: Fuel
As the region has spread out over more land, it has also become increasingly reliant upon the automobile.
Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Capita, 1982-2003
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On a per capita basis, people's driving has increased by about 10 miles a day since the early 1980s.
In part, rising incomes have generated greater levels of auto ownership so that a greater proportion of people now drive, but the increase in daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is also a result of driving longer distances.
Public Transportation Passenger Miles, 1982-2003
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Many find themselves trying to find alternatives with gasoline prices approaching $3 a gallon and expectations that the current price will increase.
The Kansas City region has not invested in increasing its public transit capacity, unlike most of its peers. Not only is the number of transit passenger miles relatively low, it also has not seen an increase in 20 years, though changes in service in the last year have positively impacted that trend.
Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Capita, 1982-2003
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Our spread-out development pattern and lack of alternatives to the car make our daily per capita VMT higher than most of our peers. By 2003 only St. Louis and Indianapolis were higher.
Percent Spent on Transportation and Utilities
2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04
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for subsets of metropolitan areas and provide data on average household expenditures by category.
As a consequence of the Kansas City region's low-density pattern of development, households spend a relatively high portion of their budgets on vehicles, fuels and utilities. This is true even though utility-unit costs are relatively low here.
As gasoline prices increase, it is likely area households will see an even larger disparity develop between their transportation-related expenditures and those of residents in the region's peers.
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