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U.S. Travel Behavior Reaching Tipping Point?

Posted by: Abhijeet Chavan
Thanks to: Jon Cecil, AICP
17 August 2006 - 6:00am

A reports suggests that U.S. has reached a point whereby mobility trends, socio-demographic conditions and travel behavior will result in changes to annual "vehicle miles of travel" (VMT) growth.

"This report explores the major factors that influence travel behavior. The indirect factors are discussed first using primarily empirical data. These are divided into three major categories: socio-economic conditions, land use conditions, and transportation system conditions. This report concentrates most on the role of the socio-economic conditions and travel behavior followed by a discussion of the direct factors. Several of these factors appear to be undergoing historic trend reversals. In addition, new evidence suggests that congestion levels have reached the point where average travel speeds are declining. This declining speed may provide additional dampening of VMT growth."

[PDF, 49 pages, 315 KB]

Full Story: The Case for Moderate Growth in Vehicle Miles Traveled: A Critical Juncture in U.S. Trvavel Behavior Trends
Source: U.S. Department Of Transportation, April 15, 2006
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So, in this context, what if the post-war suburban growth had not happened the way it did? What if the returning GIs had married, yes, but had continued to live in densely populated cities?
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