A recently released report found that young people and Americans in general are driving less, and calls on politicians, policymakers and the public to reevaluate their approaches toward transportation policies.
According to a Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group report, from 2001 to 2009, the average annual number of vehicle miles traveled by people between the ages of 16 and 34 years old dropped 23 percent, from 10,300 to 7,900 miles per capita. The report also said the average American drove 6 percent fewer miles per year in 2010 than in 2004.
The report said the trend among young people toward reduced driving is likely to continue because of changes in communications technology, which have allowed the development of car and bike share programs as well as providing other recreational activities instead of car trips.
The report also pointed to stricter driving laws, increased fuel prices and the recession, though youth employed in well-paying jobs still tend to drive less. Some youth have also reduced their driving to protect the environment.
“Policymakers and the public need to be aware that America’s current transportation policy – dominated by road building – is fundamentally out-of-step with the transportation patterns and expressed preferences of growing numbers of Americans,” the report said.
According to a statement released with the report, Wisconsinites on average drove 500 fewer miles in 2010 than in 2004, when vehicle miles traveled peaked. The statement also said the percentage of 14- to 34-year-olds in Wisconsin without a driver’s license increased by 2 percent between 2000 and 2010.
Bruce Speight, state director of Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, said since the end of World War II, Americans have been steadily increasing the amount they drive. However, he said this study shows a change in that trend since the middle of the last decade.
“Younger people are choosing public transportation, and this has been a trend for the past 10 years,” Speight said. “If these trends continue, we may need to re-evaluate our current policies because we’re doing the same thing we’ve done for 50 years, and it should change.”
Matt Kozlowski, WISPIRG state board chair and a University of Wisconsin senior, said he saw the study reflected on the University of Wisconsin campus, especially with the number of students using public transportation and biking.
He said the report is at this time calling for legislators to recognize this as a trend, and if the trend continues, he said he would like to see legislators take more money from public highway funds and put it towards public transportation.
Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, said the Legislature has cut funding for public transportation while increasing funding for road and highway building. He said legislators need to fully restore funding for bus transportation, restore funding for bicycle safety and strike a balance between funding for all modes of transportation.
Hulsey said Madison Metro has reported a record year in the number of bus riders. He added UW students and staff are also choosing alternative modes of transportation to driving such as biking and public transportation.
“The UW is definitely doing their part,” Hulsey said. “And the state of Wisconsin should be doing their part.”
