New Study: Virginians Driving Less
Friday, August 30, 2013
RICHMOND, Va. – You might find this hard to believe if you're often stuck in traffic, but a new study reveals Virginians aren't driving as much as they used to.
The study from the consumer group U.S. PIRG finds Virginians drove about 10,000 miles per person in 2011, a nearly 6 percent decline over a six-year period.
Study author Phineas Baxandall says there are a number of reasons why people are driving less.
"Some of them probably have to do with technology, and people shopping and socializing more online, environmental sensibilities,” he explains. “Some of it has to do with the economy, but certainly not all of it."
In Washington, there was a 14 percent decrease in the number of miles driven per person. Baxandall says the information about driving trends is critical as transportation planners make decisions about future projects.
He adds the report means new toll roads in Virginia might not be as profitable as the state had hoped.
"If driving is going to keep declining,” he explains, “it's going to mean either they're not going to be making as much money as authorities thought, or they're going to have to charge a whole lot higher rates to get the money that they intended."
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