Combating Gas Prices with Transit and Urban Design

As gas prices rise, more voices are calling for increased investments in transit and more multi-modal city planning.

1 minute read

March 24, 2011, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


A recent study from CEOs for Cities examined travel data in 51 metropolitan areas to find that those with transit systems and walkable designs are better suited to handle rising gas prices.

"The average American driver logs 25 miles per day. Motorists in compactly developed cities that have extensive transit systems can drive nearly 50% less.

The way to cut back on driving miles in a city isn't by reducing commutes, says Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the group.

'What adds up is all those small trips, which are much shorter and not as necessary,' she says. 'The question is, how do we make the city a place where we don't have to drive as much or as often?'"

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 in USA Today

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