MB Civic

David Burwell in The Guardian ..

Movement – measured by total vehicle miles travelled (VMT) – was considered an unqualified blessing. In the 1960s each American drove about 5,000 miles a year in a car, van, or truck. By 2000 that number was 10,000 miles .. In 2003 when [total] VMT was 2.9 trillion miles, US gross domestic product was just under $11 trillion. In 2011 GDP passed $15 trillion while total vehicle travel was still about 2.9 trillion miles. In 2011 alone GDP went up 1.5% while VMT went down 1.5%. VMT per capita is receding as well, with each American now travelling less than 9,500 miles annually .. Transportation policy has been slow to respond to this change in the way we prefer to travel and, at times, actively resists the shift in customer demand .. Earlier this year House leaders in Congress tried to strip funding for transit, bicycling, and pedestrian travel from the Highway Trust Fund .. In the absence of policy leadership, Americans are taking matters into their own hands. Baby boomers are giving up the suburbs for communities with more travel choices .. All age groups appear to be moving toward mixed communities where schools, businesses, residences, and shops are in close proximity – even walking distance

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