Taryn Luntz, The Examiner
2008-07-29 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Washington-area drivers logged significantly fewer miles in May than they did a year earlier, part of a national trend that transportation leaders say looks poised to continue.

Virginia saw 3.6 percent less vehicle traffic this May than in May 2007 — a month that traditionally kicks off the travel-heavy summer season.

Maryland had a 4.2 percent drop in vehicle miles traveled, and the District saw 1.7 percent less wear and tear on its roads.

Nationally, vehicle miles traveled dropped 3.7 percent — or 9.6 billion miles — in May, the third-largest monthly drop in the 66 years the federal government has tracked such data.

The first- and second-biggest monthly drops also have occurred since December, when gas prices shot past $3 per gallon and continued a months-long climb to pass the $4 mark.

May also marked the seventh straight month that driving has declined.

“We have seen the longest sustained decline in vehicle miles traveled since we’ve collected this data,” Secretary of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said Monday, noting officials expect the trend to continue for the “foreseeable future.”

The decline in driving — and thus gas use — has Congress scrambling to find money for already underfunded highway and transit programs, which rely heavily on revenue from gasoline taxes.

The 2009 Highway Trust Fund is running a $3.1 billion deficit, Peters said.

Maryland, the District and Virginia, which each levy their own taxes on gasoline, are also bringing in less revenue from the tax at time when all three jurisdictions are pressed for transportation funding.

Ronald Kirby, director of transportation planning for the area’s Council of Governments, said the drop-off in driving doesn’t necessarily mean commuters are seeing less congestion on the roads.

“I can’t say we’ve been getting a lot of calls about how great the traffic flow is,” Kirby said.

In the short term, local residents are more likely to cut back on nonessential driving, such as extra shopping trips or travel, than on work commutes, he said.

One way drivers are logging fewer miles: carpooling.

Over the past year, the Council of Governments has seen a 40 percent increase in use of its Commuter Connections program, which organizes carpools and other transportation options for area commuters.

tluntz@dcexaminer.com