According to new research from The California Public Interest Research Group, people ages 18-34 are driving less, and relying more on alternative modes of transportation.
According to CalPIRG, for the first time in two generations, there has been a dramatic shift in the amount Americans are driving. But of greater importance is the change for the under-34 demographic, which drove 23 percent fewer miles in 2009 than 2001. Simultaneously, that same demographic’s use of public transit grew by 40 percent.
There were three key drivers behind the shift in preferences:
- Preferences: 45 percent of young people (18-34 years old) polled in a recent survey said they have consciously made an effort to replace driving with transportation alternatives
- Convenience: Many of America’s youth prefer to live places where they can easily walk, bike, and take public transportation; young people are more likely live in areas where they can walk to shopping, restaurants, schools, and public transportation.
- Footprint: Sixteen percent of 18 to 34-year-olds said they have purposely reduced their driving in an effort to curb their environmental impact.
So, how will this affect municipal government and transportation policy?
According to one analyst, governments should be thinking about realigning their transportation investments with this new data in mind. This is in sync with recent Gov1 coverage of walkable cities; Municipalities seeking to draw and retain young professionals must reconsider their commitment to an updated strategy of transportation.
Touting walkability, bike lanes and bike paths, ZipCar-like services, electric vehicle charging stations, and pedestrian-only zones can enhance the perception that your local government is progressive.
And raising public transportation fees may be counterproductive; a statement from the Massachusetts Public Interest Group, reacting to the CalPIRG study, attacked the Mass. transportation authority for raising rates. “Just yesterday the MBTA voted to raise public transportation fares 23%,” said MassPIRG’s Lizzi Weyant. “This [CalPIRG] report shows that not only is it bad public policy, it’s bad economic policy. Young people, the backbone of the Commonwealth, are clamoring for more public transportation.”
Action Items
The complete report can be downloaded here (39-page PDF), and the press release containing key data is a shorter read.
As covered in Gov1, many municipalities are creating transportation policies to capitalize on the trends mentioned in this article. Click here for related coverage the sample plans.