Vehicle Miles Traveled

Traffic

Peak Motorization: Measuring Rates of Auto Ownership and Distances Driven

Passenger vehicle ownership and vehicle miles traveled per person and per household remain below their historic peaks set in 2006 and 2004, respectively, but they have been on the upswing for the past four to five years, according to new data.

February 11, 2018 - University Of Michigan

Transportation Network Companies

New Study Provides a Counter-Narrative for Ride-Hailing Companies

A new study finds evidence that ride-hailing trips are at least as efficient, and often more efficient, than private, personal automobile trips.

January 15, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Little Tokyo

The Final Days of 'Level of Service' in California's Environmental Review Process

A long-awaited draft update of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has finally been released, and Level of Service will finally be a thing of the past in the next two to four years.

December 7, 2017 - Streetsblog California

Traffic

U.S. Drivers Continue Mileage Increase for Sixth Consecutive Year

Americans have increased their driving every year since 2011, and the first six months of 2017 were no different, increasing 1.6 percent compared to last year, according to data released Tuesday by the Federal Highway Administration.

August 30, 2017 - Federal Highway Administration

Lombard Street San Francisco

Too Much Driving is Spoiling California's Emissions Report Card

A new economics report from Beacon Economics for Next 10 shows that what good for the environment is good for the state's economy, but the results are marred by increasing vehicle-miles-traveled. The state's housing crisis is partly to blame.

August 24, 2017 - Business Wire

Cars

Another Month, Another Mileage Record Set

Americans preference to travel in their own personal vehicles shows no signs of abating, reflected by May mileage data, the most recent compiled by the Federal Highway Administration, indicating a 2.2 percent increase compared with May 2016.

August 7, 2017 - Planetizen

405 Traffic

Lowest Gas Prices in 12 Years Contribute to Record Travel This Holiday Weekend

Two new reports on transportation funding issued in advance of the July 4th weekend focus attention on gas prices and vehicle travel. Seven states will increase gas taxes on July 1 according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

June 30, 2017 - Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Los Angeles Traffic - The Newhall Pass

April FHWA Report Shows Americans Continue to Drive More

There is good news in the most recent Federal Highway Administration Travel Trends report—if you look hard enough.

June 25, 2017 - AASHTO Journal

Suburban House

Millennials Leading a Decline in Car Ownership in Some U.S. Cities

The young and the recently arrived in Seattle are less and less likely to own a car, according to new Seattle Times analysis of Census data.

May 13, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Walkable Street

Study: Reduce Traffic with Mixed-Use Development

A new study explores how the built environment influences vehicle miles traveled.

February 27, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

Traffic

2016 Sets New U.S. Driving Record as Gas Prices Remain Low

So much for the 2015 record of 3.148 trillion miles. Last year saw a cumulative travel increase of 2.8 percent to 3.218 trillion miles, setting a new record as cheap gas contributed to increased driving.

February 22, 2017 - E&E News

San Francisco

A Modest Proposal: Stop Subsidizing Driving

Joe Cortright argues for a new approach to the discussion about the country's dependence on automobiles: talk about responsibility, not morals.

February 22, 2017 - City Observatory

Driving

Americans Continue Relentless Increase in Driving

New data released by the Federal Highway Administration shows that vehicle mile traveled increased three percent for the first nine months of 2016 compared to the same period last year. Driving has increased continuously since April 2014.

December 12, 2016 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Tech SHuttle

The Downside of Removing Tech Buses from Neighborhoods

A new study has shown that moving tech shuttle stops from neighborhoods to conform to a new "hub plan" would result in a drop in bus ridership, with most former riders resorting to driving their own vehicles to their Silicon Valley workplaces.

November 29, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Houston Texas

Are Texans Driving Less? Depends on Who You Ask

Local and regional transportation planners responded skeptically to data from the Texas Department of Transportation showing Texans driving less.

October 5, 2016 - Streetsblog Texas

Rental Cars

Editorial: A Compelling Case for a Carbon Tax

With record amounts of gasoline burned by America's passenger vehicle fleet which is increasing composed of light trucks rather than cars, and with Americans driving record distances, The Washington Post argues it's time for a carbon tax.

September 13, 2016 - The Washington Post - Editorial

Traffic Deaths Take a Big Jump in 2016

A 9 percent increase in fatalities on the nation's highways compared to the same period in 2015 does not appear to be a result of increased driving, which jumped 3.3 percent during that period, but rather an increase in the rate of fatal crashes.

August 29, 2016 - National Safety Council

Mercedes Benz Suburbs

Americans Continue to Drive More, Reports Federal Highway Administration

New driving totals are out for June and and the first six months of 2016, and the news is not good for those who want to see a reduction in what is now the greatest source of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

August 24, 2016 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Ghost bike in New York

2015 Road Toll: 35,200 Fatalities

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released preliminary fatality estimates for 2015. Deaths jumped by 2,525, an increase of 7.7 percent over 2014. Pedestrians and bicyclists saw the biggest increases.

July 6, 2016 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

California Environmental Law Continues to Frustrate Bike Planning (for Now)

Help is on the way. The law that requires the governor's planning office to devise an alternative method for measuring vehicle traffic for environmental compliance will also take up where an earlier law that exempted bike lanes from CEQA left off.

April 16, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

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