The number miles Americans travel in their cars is dropping at a record rate. In a new report, D.C. think-tank Brookings Institution provides the first-ever ranking of 50 states and top 100 metro areas.
Among states, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Georgia and Tennessee are breaking from the car culture fastest. Click here for the Brookings press release. Or here for a summary of the report.
From the Brookings report: "The number of miles that Americans have traveled in their cars (“Vehicle Miles Traveled” or VMT)started to slow as far back as 2004 - long before the extreme fluctuation in gas prices and the start of the economic slowdown - and has been falling since 2007. From October 2007 to September 2008, for
example, we drove 90 billion fewer miles than the same time period the year before. For the first time in our history, the amount of roadway available to drivers is outpacing the number of miles we actually drive. Transit use, interestingly, is at its highest level since the 1950’s, and Amtrak just set a ridership record this year."
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