Doing business with the enemy

An article by David Leonhardt on the Economix blog reports on a finding by The Center for Clean Air Policy in Washington that the growth in traffic has fallen behind the growth of GDP since the late 1990s.

I have not checked the UK figures, but I do remember how the traffic in London fell markedly in the recession of the early 1990s, & that this was put down largely to the loss of outsourcing work which meant that florists, cleaners, providers of technical services or directors lunches were no longer racing around in their small white vans.

This came as a welcome relief - traffic had increased unbearably during the late 80s boom, so that it was often quicker to walk in central London. I even remember one afternoon setting off to walk towards Piccadilly & the Royal Academy from Kensington High Street, expecting to hop on a bus when one came along. I moved faster than the traffic, to such an extent that the first Number 9 to pass did so as I approached the portals of Burlington House.

The contrast when the recession ended doubtless did much to quieten protests at the prospect of a congestion charge.

Is there any possibility that the reduced mileage in America reflects a reduction in speed because of environmental concerns? If there is anything in the assertion that time spent travelling is a constant, reductions in speed must lead to reductions in distance travelled.

Link
Growing Without Driving

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The enemy