by James A. Bacon
Memo to the McDonnell administration, the General Assembly and Virginia Free (see previous post): Virginia’s transportation policies are based on totally outdated assumptions. I’ve been banging that drum for several years now, but don’t believe me. Even the Washington Post has caught on.
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the United States peaked in 2004. Part of the decline in automobile travel can be attributed to the economic downturn, but the decline set in before the recession. Major economic and demographic forces are at work here. The cost of owning and operating automobiles is increasing faster than incomes. And the digital revolution as epitomized by the Smart Phone is transforming young peoples’ ideas of mobility.
While the average American reduced VMT by 6% between 2004 and 2011, young people (16 to 34 years old) drove 23% less, according to an April study by the Frontier Group. They are biking more, walking more and doing more ride sharing. This change in attitude is driven in part by technology. Says the Frontier Group:
Communications technology, which provides young people with new social networking and recreational possibilities, has become a substitute for some car trips. Improvements in technology make transportation alternatives more convenient. Websites and smart phone apps that provide real-time transit data make public transportation easier to use, particularly for infrequent users. Meanwhile, technology has opened the door for new transportation alternatives, such as the car-sharing and bike-sharing services that have taken root in numerous American cities.
Public transportation is more compatible with a lifestyle based on mobility and peer-to-peer connectivity than driving. Bus and train riders can often talk on the phone, text or work safely while riding, while many state governments are outlawing using mobile devices while driving.
Interestingly, driving laws that crack down on distracted driving (driving while texting) are hastening the trend. Given the choice between their phones and their cars, many would choose their phones!
We’ve only just begun to see the impact of technology on driving. I’ve written about Uber, a service that allows people to summon luxury-automobile rides on their smart phones that’s active in Washington, D.C. Uber soon will be followed by Avego real-time car sharing that claims, “Anyone can turn their car into a bus, saving time and money by picking up passengers along their route.” Just download the Avego app and discover available rides around you, says the website. Avego also has services that enable van pool operators to improve the efficiency of their busineses, as well as fleet-management tools for coach fleet operators and public transit companies.
Special interest groups are decrying a “transportation crisis” that is fast fading. We are experiencing a transportation revolution, but Virginia is still building the transportation system of the 20th century. The only crisis is that we’re building the wrong projects in the wrong places! We need to re-visit every single road project in the state’s Six Year Improvement Program to see if they all are still needed and if the money can be better spent elsewhere. Why are we building the Charlottesville Bypass? Why are we studying the Tri-County Parkway in Northern Virginia? These projects are totally divorced from what’s happening in the real world — and so are the people crying for more taxes to build more roads that the next generation won’t be using.
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