Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

We've had a busy two weeks since the Transportation Research Board conference, and one thing that’s slipped through the cracks is passing on a few tidbits that came at the end of the TRB panel of U.S. DOT officials on January 16.

FTA Chief Peter Rogoff (center) says we've gotten beyond the highways vs. transit paradigm, and Under Secretary Polly Trottenberg (right) says the reduction in VMT will impact DOT's planning. Photo: ##http://fastlane.dot.gov/2013/01/dot-leaders-talk-map-21-at-trb.html#.UQvvhFpddU0##Fast Lane##

First, in response to my question about whether the dip in vehicle-miles-traveled had affected how DOT performs travel forecasting and, therefore, transportation planning: "Certainly, we have been observing that trend," said Polly Trottenberg, DOT's under secretary for policy. "One of the reasons that’s been posited is, there’s a generational change going on; younger generations are driving less, for a variety of reasons."

Those reasons include graduated drivers' licenses and new technologies like Uber and bike-share, she said. "It fits in to what we think the American transportation system needs to be, which is multimodal."

So does it affect their planning? Trottenberg says yes:

We don’t know yet what the long term VMT trend will be, but we know that since 2005, per capita VMT is essentially flat and declining. And, yeah, that certainly figures into our planning.

That’s different in different parts of the country and may or may not figure into a particular local plan, but certainly it’s something we look at as we’re looking at, departmentally, what we want to do.

The flip side of the dip in driving is an uptick in transit ridership. It's hard to believe that in this context, some people still think transit isn't a high priority and shouldn't receive dedicated federal funding. At TRB, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff said he thinks that the Republican effort to whack transit last year was a last gasp of sorts:

[One] thing I find exciting: the House debate this past year notwithstanding, I think we are really moving past these sort of knuckle-dragging debates in the past about highways versus transit. We recognize that with 100 million more citizens coming to the United States by 2050, we need more of both.

We’re seeing transit leaders in places like Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan, and it’s no longer a partisan issue. The vision for transit and, for that matter, rail investment, is coming from people of all political stripes. We’re breaking down the political side of all this preferring one modal approach to another. We just need more of all of it and people are coming around.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Reining in the Sprawl

Some cities are shifting toward eco-friendly housing. Here are some lessons.

June 6, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Reinvent a Worse Wheel

Because they spend so much time driving without passengers, Uber's Routeshare shuttles won't be much better for traffic or air quality than private cars.

June 6, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Keys to San Francisco’s Future

Sujata Srivastava, Chief Policy Officer at SPUR, on an "urbanist decision-making framework for San Francisco’s new mayor."

June 5, 2025

‘War on Cyclists’: NYC E-Bike Speed Limit Panned by Safety Advocates

"Sounds like more flavor-of-the-month hot air," said one activist.

June 5, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Build It, and They Will Come

Believe it or not, people are more likely to bike when they feel safe. Science proves it.

June 5, 2025
See all posts