Roll over Henry Ford, Americans are driving less

Roll over Henry Ford, Americans are driving less
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 | 03:14 PM ET
By Henry Champ


Personally, I have always assumed nothing could stand between the American commuter and his or her car. But I may have been wrong.

Until recently, though — until gas prices really started to take off — the evidence of America's continued love affair with the car was pretty strong........


For years, municipal governments have tried to wean the American commuter into mass transit. But it hasn't worked.

Nothing could sway the suburban commuter from saddling-up and heading to work in his trusty steel chariot. It is the American benchmark of freedom.

Special lanes for cars with three or more passengers. Free parking at railway and subway stops outside cities. Special rates for frequent transit users. All these efforts have failed to put a dent in the long lines of metal chugging into the core of U.S. cities.

Until now that is. And the reason is simple: $4.00 a gallon gas.
Americans are driving less

For the first time in more than 30 years automobile traffic in the U.S. is down. The federal transportation department reported that in March, Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles than in March a year ago. That's not a typo: It is billions not millions of miles fewer.

Read more here;
http://www.cbc.ca/news/reportsfromabroad/champblog/2008/05/roll_over_henry_ford_americans.html