20 and 30 somethings are eschewing their parent’s penchant for cars. It’s a combination of economics, their shifting relationships to things, more virtual lifestyles, and the increase in alternative transportation friendly cities.
The drop-off in driving is already having wide-reaching effects across the country. It means that gasoline taxes, which help finance transportation investment, are bringing in less revenue. The U.S. Pirg report suggests that the nation’s shift in driving trends calls for a change in the things the nation spends that money on. “When dollars are so scarce, we need to be sure we’re not building highways that aren’t really needed — especially if doing so means neglecting repairs of existing highways, and neglecting to build transit projects when transit ridership is soaring,” Mr. Baxandall said
via Report Finds Americans Are Driving Less, Led by Youth - NYTimes.com
On the upside, bikes and public transportation does a better job of feeding local living economies in exactly the opposite way cars weakened them. Look for the trend to continue.