k wrote:
Well, it depends on your definition of "necessary", but I concede that many people have little choice in the matter, and are heavily affected by increases in gasoline prices. Though, I might ask why you *must* live 70 miles from work. That's partially rhetorical...

That's a perfectly reasonable question (rhetorical or not) for anyone affected by this. I'm originally from Nashville, which is where I currently work. I live in Murfreesboro, 35 miles away (the "70" above referred to the round trip), because it's much less expensive (even with the current gasoline situation) and because that's where most of my friends live. If my survival were on the line, yes, I could always move closer to work or get a new job, the former being the easier option, considering I'm 20 years into my current job.

However, if I were to reach that point of desperation, I'm sure I wouldn't be alone, and with the higher demand, living expenses would be even more expensive, the closer I moved to my job. Right now, even with the PITA daily commute, my quality of life is much better doing what I'm doing, and I'll keep doing it unless it becomes an economic burden. It's bad enough for me to bitch about it sometimes, but not enough of a personal crisis to require drastic action. My situation is probably a common one.

RE: America’s Traffic Congestion Problem: Toward a Framework for Nationwide Reform