An Australian study indicates that in large cities in Europe, North America and Australia, driving has 'peaked' largely due to congestion causing a limit to commuter's travel, known as the Marchetti wall.
"A study (PDF) from the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute says that many cities--including Vienna, Zurich, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Houston--have already seen a decline in car usage between 1995 and 2005."
The study points to 'Marchetti's Constant',"a term for the average amount of time spent traveling each day, which is approximately one and a half hours."
The study notes that increasing VMT in the developing world may overwhelm the decline in vehicle usage in urban areas of developed nations.
From DC Streetsblog: Has America Passed Peak Car Use, or Is It Just a Cyclical Decline?: "Meanwhile, new data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics adds to the body of research about the decline in driving - but whether that amounts to "peak car use" is worth further consideration. The report shows a leveling off in vehicle miles traveled, beginning at the end of 2007."
Thanks to Streetsblog New York City
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