Thursday, December 5, 2013
Another report on drop in driving in DC area
According to several recent studies, young people are waiting longer to get a driving license, and in general people are driving less. The most recent article is in today's Post, D.C. area sees drop in driving in 21st century; nationwide driving has decreased by 7.6 %:
Compiled from federal and state databases, the report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group gives a snapshot of a transportation evolution that may portend where the nation — particularly urban America — is headed.
It is the latest of several recent white papers that cite waning use of the automobile to argue for changes in public policy away from the highway-oriented focus born during the suburban expansion of the 20th century.
“There is a shift away from driving,” said Phineas Baxandall, an analyst at PIRG. “The cities in this report are home to most of America’s population and are engines of the economy. Policy leaders need to wake up and realize the driving boom is over. Instead of expanding new highways, our government leaders should focus on investing in public transit and biking for the future.”
Many of the policy changes the report recommended are already in place in Washington and some of its suburbs. Encouragement of the popular Capital BikeShare program and installation of bike lanes have correlated with a spurt in bike travel.
We've added the emphasis on the text above. That message is very timely as Fairfax County determines how to spend new transportation funds. Among the options being considered are very expensive road widening and interchange projects vs. transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects. Even the transit projects focus primarily on parking facilities for cars.It is the latest of several recent white papers that cite waning use of the automobile to argue for changes in public policy away from the highway-oriented focus born during the suburban expansion of the 20th century.
“There is a shift away from driving,” said Phineas Baxandall, an analyst at PIRG. “The cities in this report are home to most of America’s population and are engines of the economy. Policy leaders need to wake up and realize the driving boom is over. Instead of expanding new highways, our government leaders should focus on investing in public transit and biking for the future.”
Many of the policy changes the report recommended are already in place in Washington and some of its suburbs. Encouragement of the popular Capital BikeShare program and installation of bike lanes have correlated with a spurt in bike travel.
References:
- Young Americans Lead Trend to Less Driving, New York Times.
- We're Buying Fewer Cars, Driving Fewer Miles—and Buying Less Gas, Pacific Standard.
- Has Motorization in the U.S. Peaked? by Michael Sivak
- Has Motorization in the U.S. Peaked? Part 2 Use of Light-Body Vehicles by Michael Sivak
- Has Motorization in the U.S. Peaked? Part 3: Fuel consumed by light-duty vehicles by Michael Sivak
Labels: countywide dialogue on transportation, driving less, youth driving
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
ULI survey shows broad support for biking and walking
The DC chapter of the Urban Land Institute recently surveyed their members on their attitudes toward walking and biking. According to the Post article Real estate survey shows broad support for biking and walking commutes, "Almost everyone — 96 percent — said the region would be better off if more people walked or rode bicycles to work, and 86 percent said they expect that trend to grow significantly in coming years."People are driving less, especially young people, and they want to live in walkable, bikeable communities. This survey of real estate professionals shows that they get it; building places where we can safely bike and walk for short trips is popular and economically successful.
The survey also noted that local governments are not doing enough to support this trend.
Only about half of survey respondents — 49 percent — said local governments were doing enough to support biking and walking, and only 20 percent said employers were doing enough. Among the most popular suggestions for improvement were more bike lanes, sidewalks and trails (49 percent); increased public and private funding (22 percent); employer-based incentive programs (10 percent); and more legislation and enforcement of drive, pedestrian and biker rules (9 percent).
Rother said she expects to see owners and managers of office buildings in urban areas begin to offer more incentives for bike commuters, including private bike rentals for employees and bike repair stations.
While we are marking some progress in Fairfax with dedicated funds for bike and ped improvements near the new Silver Line Metrorail stations, progress is much too slow. The Tysons Bicycle Master Plan was completed over two years ago and has still not been adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The same is true of the Countywide Bicycle Master Plan that was completed over a year ago.Rother said she expects to see owners and managers of office buildings in urban areas begin to offer more incentives for bike commuters, including private bike rentals for employees and bike repair stations.
The Board of Supervisors needs to fund the bicycle program, increase the number of staff devoted to bicycling, and increase funding, and priority of bicycle infrastructure projects, or Fairfax will not be able to compete with places like Arlington, Alexandria, and the District.
Labels: bicycle master plan, youth driving
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Young people are driving less
I didn't get my driver's license until I was in college. I spent my high school years in England and used public transportation almost exclusively. I hadn't yet discovered the benefits of bicycling. I took the bus to school and when I needed to stay late, I took public transit home. We traveled by train throughout Europe. In London we walked and rode public transit. It was the natural, convenient way to get around because the infrastructure was there. I didn't miss driving; I didn't even think about it most of the time. It was only upon returning to the U.S. that I needed a car, especially after trying to rely on public transit for a while and constantly being late to work and appointments. It took a couple of more years living here before I discovered that traveling by bicycle was probably the best option.
Many of today's youth seem to have come to the realization that there are options to getting around other than by car. It's probably not so much the case in Fairfax because we don't have good bike facilities or convenient public transportation unless you're commuting to work in DC during rush hour. Yesterday I attended an all day training session at the Annandale NoVa campus. There are bike lanes on Wakefield Chapel Road which lead to the campus, but I saw only one bike besides mine parked in the grill racks in front. There was an ocean of parking available. From the south, getting to the bike lanes is a challenge and from the north, the only entrance is via Route 236 with no side path or bike lanes.
Labels: good magazine, youth driving
