(The Associated Press circulated the following by Joan Lowy on December 11.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The government says drivers clocked 9 billion fewer miles on the nation’s roads in October, even as they paid less for gas.
Since the driving decline began in November 2007, Americans kept more than 100 billion miles off their odometers. That’s the largest continuous decline in driving the nation has experienced.
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters says the trend shows America’s travel habits fundamentally changing.
The South Atlantic region had the sharpest drop in miles driven, with 5 percent. Montana had the steepest driving decline of any state, with 8.4 percent.
Meanwhile, public transportation systems around the country report record ridership. Amtrak said it had its best year in fiscal 2008, for ridership and revenue.