For years, people wondered whether travel would bounce back after the pandemic. The latest FHWA data, along with other new research, gives a clearer answer. Growth has slowed. In 2024, total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) finally inched past its 2019 peak, but by only 0.5%. On a per capita basis, Americans are still driving less, down 2.3% since 2019.
trip rate
To manage traffic, researchers ask: “Whose miles are these anyway?”
Several states and many local governments are growing more interested in measuring vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a key indicator of transportation emissions levels and other unwanted impacts. But measuring VMT, especially at the local site level, can be more difficult than it seems. A new study in the Journal of the Planning Association points to data sources, shortcomings, and considerations for measuring VMT in the future.
Researchers warn traffic studies could face more legal scrutiny
Local governments often rely on traffic impact analyses to review and approve projects, charge impact fees, and ask developers to go above and beyond the basic requirements. These traffic studies, however, are often based on “junk science,” and may not hold up in courts much longer, according to a new Viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Planning Association.