Regional Population Up, Daily Driving Down

Written by Laura L. Thornton

In the past six years, the population of the greater Washington area grew by more than 7 percent, but the average daily driving distances of residents declined by an average of 1.4 miles, according to a new analysis by the National Capitol Region Transportation Planning Board.

The analysis considered data from Maryland, Virginia and district transportation departments in an effort to update the board’s system to model future traffic patterns.

In 2005, people in the metro area drove an average of 22.9 miles per day. In 2011, that figure decreased to 21.5 miles per day, a 6.1 percent decrease.

Residents in suburbs drive slightly more than the average person in the region, but they have driven less over the past six years — going from 24.5 miles per day in 2005 to 23.4 in 2011.

While a reduction of only about a mile per day may not seem like a lot, it is part of the reason the Transportation Planning Board has revised its total driving forecast for 2040 downward by an additional 4 percent over past projections.

The board used the data to execute a federally mandated air quality analysis, ultimately determining that emissions will be lower than predicted in past analyses.

The Washington City Paper theorizes that the reduction in daily driving may be partially due to the growing popularity of Capital Bikeshare and to district workers choosing to live closer to where they work.

Do you drive less now than in 2005? Tell us in the comments.