But if you listen to the experts, you’d never know that telecommuting is an option.
Of all the solutions to the congestion, no one has stated that in 10 years, when a tunnel may be finished, there could be fewer cars on the road, thereby solving the problem on its own.
A reason for this lack of thinking is that the experts who have chimed in thus far have a vested interest in cranking up bulldozers or setting up toll booths.
The fact is, many of the trends in driving habits point to fewer cars on the road in 2018, not more.
The last approved plan for the intersection was in 1985, when a gallon of gas cost $1.11. Using an online Consumer Price Index inflation calculator, that gallon today would cost $2.20. But the price in Orange County is averaging $3.58, and it’s still climbing.
As the gas costs rise and continue to outpace the rate of disposable income, consumers will turn to other forms of transportation.
Also according to the inflation calculator, the person making $40,000 in 1985 would need to make $79,378.44 today.
But according to the website for the city of Costa Mesa, the median household income in Costa Mesa in 2005 was $53,361. In other words, we are making less and paying significantly higher prices for gasoline.
Our aging population factors in, too. As the baby boomers enter retirement over the next 10 years, there will be millions of fewer cars commuting to and from jobs.
As gas prices soar, telecommuting numbers will rise. Why? Because more and more workers will demand telecommuting programs rather than absorb the pay cut brought on by oil at more than $114 per barrel.
