Should local cities plan for fewer drivers?

METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – More and more young adults are getting by without getting behind the wheel!

There has been a steady decline in the number of young people with driver’s licences in Metro Vancouver over the past 10 years, which could have pretty big implications for cities as they plan for the future.

Stats provided to the Metro Vancouver Transportation Committee show a drop in the number of 16 to 34-year-olds with licences since 2004; it’s way down for people in their early 20s.

The decline is being linked to BC’s Graduated Licensing Program, expanded transit along with the U-Pass program, and the increase in gasoline prices. Though it’s not clear if the trend will continue, a prominent planner and international consultant believes local governments cannot continue to plan for ever-increasing traffic volumes on our roads and bridges.

“You can look at this many different ways,” says Todd Litman, founder of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute.

“Yes, there could be somewhat less revenue [from insurance, gas taxes and tolls] but then there will also be somewhat lower costs. We don’t need to expand roads or build as many parking spaces and there will be far fewer car accidents. In fact, one of the safety strategies that seems to be most effective is to encourage people to drive less — in particular, young people.”

Litman believes the overall cost savings could be invested back into local infrastructure tailored to the changing needs of commuters, improving routes for walking, cycling, and public transit.

“People would then have realistic options so they are not forced to drive, even if they prefer alternatives,” he tells News1130. “It’s really about shifting resources and as a result, there are overall savings, both to individual households and to government budgets. For example, if improving walking, cycling, and public transit in your community allows your household to go from owning two cars to one car, you are enjoying tremendous savings. And that’s what we are seeing.”

Litman feels it is very important that transportation professionals start rethinking their projection models.

“We can’t assume that traffic volumes will continue to grow. Instead we need to start thinking about the implications of the ‘peaking’ of vehicle traffic.”

“Fortunately, the Metro Vancouver region is actually doing a fairly good job at that. There’s a lot of investment in walking, cycling, and public transit; a lot of rethinking about how to design roads so that they are what we call ‘complete streets’  and accommodate multiple types of users; and shifting some of the resources, money, and road space that was previously dedicated to automobile traffic and instead invest in alternatives.”

But Litman says municipalities are only just starting to go down that road and not everyone is in alignment. That is the challenge moving forward.