A modest proposal for saving energy & housing: Have a war on commuting!

I'm writing this in Japan, and somewhere on this trip I had an epiphany.  Perhaps it was when I was told that some of my Japanese counterparts commute up to two hours a day. Each way. And then it hit me:  

 

• Commuting wastes time.
  
• Long commutes takes away from family life.
• Long commutes make for an inefficient work force.
• Long commutes take ridiculously large amounts of energy.
• Long commutes distort  housing prices. 
  
• Long commutes are openly hostile to the concept of community.
  

So my modest proposal would be that we should have tax policies that explicitly favor shorter commutes.  This can be done in a number of ways.

 

If two spouses work & relocate to a place substantially closer to both of their work places, they should be given tax breaks, and perhaps even income subsidies.

 

Local governments should be given aid conditioned on re-zoning real-estate parcels (and buying real estate) to effect "short commute communities."

 

It is absolutely insane in an age of $100/barrel oil, to allow mortgage deductions to people who commute 1.5 hours each way to a job.

 

If this was done properly, it would stimulate the housing market. 

As long as housing prices are in the toilet anyway, and as long as we have an energy crunch, and as long as we have too much CO₂ being emitted from fossil fuels, why not institute a policy that helps at least 2 out of the 3 of them, and takes advantage of at least 1 of them?

I know we've had this Energize America thing for a while now, but having the government intervene to curb excessive commuting seems like a Win Win Win Win Win to me:

• Families win. More time.
• Businesses win. More rested, awake employees.
• The environment wins. Less CO₂.
• America wins. Less dependence on fossil fuels.
• Commuters win. Less people on the road means less congested highways, shorter commutes for all, and less road rage.

I once had an hour commute - I went close to crazy, literally.

My commute's now 2.5 miles, and sometimes, yes I walk to work.

(Cross-posted at Openleft.)