Over the last 15 years, the Internet and mobile communications technologies have transformed the way Americans live and work. During that same period, growth in vehicle travel slowed and then stopped, with Americans today driving about as much on average as we did in 1996. Early evidence suggests that new innovations in technology and social networking are beginning to change America’s transportation landscape.
trends
Mode choice? There’s an app for that
For almost a decade, per-capita VMT has shown a flat to downward trend. But don’t be fooled; people are traveling. Transit ridership is up. Biking and walking for transportation continues to increase. Car-sharing and ride-sharing services are seeing a boom. New technologies, including smart phone applications and interactive web sites, give these intrepid travelers the tools they need to decode the mysteries of public transit and investigate the growing availability of non-motorized travel options.
Factors affecting the decline in VMT: A new SSTI report
SSTI has released a paper outlining factors contributing to the recent decline in American driving and the implications for transportation planning.
Factors affecting the decline in VMT: A new SSTI report
SSTI has released a paper outlining factors contributing to the recent decline in American driving and the implications for transportation planning.
VMT Inflection Point: Factors Affecting 21st Century Travel (SSTI, 2013)
For many decades, transportation planning has assumed continued increases in automobile use. Now, in a major reversal, the average American is driving considerably less. No one can predict the future with certainty, but there are many reasons to think that VMT trends will not revert to the 20th century trend. This paper lists some of those reasons, with references to supporting literature.
Has Motorization in the U.S. Peaked? Part 2: Use of Light-Duty Vehicles (Michael Sivak, 2013)
This study is an examination of trends from 1984-2011 in distances driven by light-duty vehicles in the U.S. The study concludes that because the onset of the reductions in the driving rates was not the result of short-term, economic changes, the 2004 maxima in the distance-driven rates have a reasonable chance of being long-term peaks as well.
The New Majority: Pedaling Toward Equity (League of American Bicyclists and Sierra Club, 2013)
This report features data on demographic ridership, the effect of safe cycling infrastructure on ridership, new immigrant perceptions of bicycling, as well as the economic impact of transportation and health inequity.
A New Direction: Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America’s Future (U.S. PIRG and Frontier Group, 2013)
A new report from U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group examines demographic, economic, and social trends that they argue will make the drop in VMT in the U.S. permanent.
Report: Lower VMT trend is here to stay
Data released Monday by FHWA is just the latest evidence that Americans are driving less on average than they were a decade ago, and that even with population increases, total VMT is flat to slightly declining. A new report by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the Frontier Group argues that the change is a durable one.
New accessibility tools available from Walk Score
For agencies that want to address the land use-transportation connection, Walk Score now provides a new form of accessibility measure, as well as data to help measure trends over time. The firm is offering a way to measure the depth of choices of destinations such as groceries or parks, in a platform called ChoiceMaps.