Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Minneapolis

Twin Cities Region Grows While Car Use Shrinks

4:07 PM EDT on October 30, 2013

Residents of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Region are letting their feet off the gas.

According to the Twin Cities' Metropolitan Council's decennial travel behavior survey [PDF], vehicle trips in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region dropped 18 percent between 2000 and 2010. People who reside in the area are making almost 1.5 million fewer car trips a day than they did at the beginning of the last decade. The region added about 200,000 people over that time.

Between 2000 and 2010, transit use inched up to 3.2 percent of trips from 2.5 percent. The Minneapolis region added its 12-mile Hiawatha light rail line in 2004 and has also added some express bus service. But that doesn't totally explain the reduction in overall vehicle trips, which still account for 84 percent of all trips in the region.

A rise in telecommuting and online shopping is another factor. Between 2005 and 2010, telecommuting rose 73 percent, Metro Council says. The well-documented trend of young people driving less and delaying getting drivers licenses appears to be at play as well. Minneapolis-area planners also think people are just making less discretionary trips, perhaps trying to rein in spending because of rising gas prices and a rocky economy. Gas prices doubled between 2002 and 2011, the organization points out.

One very clear positive sign is the growing popularity of living in the central city. According to Metro Council, 23 percent of the region's population growth between 2000 and 2010 occurred in the cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul. In the previous decade, it was just 5 percent.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines Triple the Fun

Amtrak is staffing up and ready to spend the $66 billion it received from the bipartisan federal infrastructure law.

September 26, 2023

Pols: Congress Must Bolster Sustainable Commutes to Reduce Carbon and Congestion

The feds should bolster sustainable commuting modes and transportation demand management strategies.

September 26, 2023

Monday’s Headlines Are All About Pete

From trying to avert a government shutdown to promoting rail safety, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is in the midst of a busy week.

September 25, 2023

What is the Life of a Dead Pedestrian Worth?

A Seattle police officer sparked outrage when he joked that the death of pedestrian Jaahnavi Kandula might be settled for as little as $11,000. Some families get even less.

September 25, 2023

Why Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled Matters

“Our job now is to prioritize solutions that mitigate the impacts of climate change while equitably improving quality of life. To do so we need to rethink how we build so Californians can drive less."

September 22, 2023
See all posts