New federal data show Americans are continuing a 10-month-long decline in driving habits, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters announced Oct. 24. The decline is putting new pressure on the way road, bridge and transit projects are funded at a time of record growth in transit ridership, showing the need for a new approach for funding transportation construction, she added.
“We pay for transit the same way we pay for road and bridge projects–with federal gas taxes,” said Peters, who made the announcement during a visit to a light rail station under construction in Dallas. “Relying on the gas tax is like relying on cardboard to keep the rain out–the longer you use it the less it works.”
In August 2008, Americans drove 15 billion fewer miles, or 5.6% less, than they did in August 2007–the largest ever year-to-year decline recorded in a single month, Peters said. She added that over the past 10 months, Americans have driven 78 billion fewer miles than they did in the same 10 months the previous year. Texans alone drove 1.3 million fewer miles, she added.
Transit ridership, meanwhile, saw an increase of 6.2% this summer compared to last, said Peters. In Texas, the DART rail system saw an increase of 15% this summer, one of the largest in its 12-year history, she noted.
She said that since 2001, the Department has invested over $8 billion to finance over 280 miles worth of new transit lines, which, taken together, would be 25% longer than the New York City subway system. She warned that future projects, however, could be at risk if we continue to rely on gas taxes to fund transit construction.
She said a plan to significantly reform federal transportation policy the Administration unveiled earlier this year would address that challenge by making it easier for states to attract new sources of funding for transportation projects. “With this new approach to funding transportation projects, we can ensure that Big D has Grade-A transit service for years to come.”
To review the FHWA’s “Traffic Volume Trends” reports for August 2008, visit Traffic Volume Trends.
