Though it may be too soon to say for sure, it looks like the United States has reached peak driving. So shouldn’t we cut back on new road construction?
So asks Eric Jaffe, who suggests that a fix-it-first road funding policy is most appropriate for an era in which Americans drive less. Jaffe’s argument is bolstered by evidence that some transportation authorities have already begun to adapt to the change in transportation habit. The Maryland DOT, for instance, recently acknowledged that “a return to strong annual VMT growth is unlikely.
“For sure, we need a new source of funding, with the busted gas tax nearing its demise,” writes Jaffe. “It’s also high time to challenge the idea that the amount of road funding we’ll need in the future is the same as what we’ve needed in the past.”
Read the full story: We're Driving Less, So Should We Stop Building New Roads?
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello