May 2024

The Problem with VMT Reduction Policy

Robert W. Poole Jr., Director of Transportation Policy, Reason Foundation

Much-needed congestion-reduction projects in California are at risk of being cancelled, due to a little-noticed change that was legislated in 2013 but has taken about a decade to be fully implemented. SB 473 requires highway policy to no longer focus on its traditional goal of improving level of service (LOS), which often leads to widening when traffic flow exceeds capacity. Instead, the focus must be on reducing vehicle miles of travel (VMT). This is part of the state’s new Carbon Reduction Strategy, which assumes that making people drive less is the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

Login to unlock
Unlock this article
Related Articles
The Troubling Decline of Users-Pay/Users-Benefit

May 2025

The Troubling Decline of Users-Pay/Users-Benefit

Expanding Congested Highways: Revisiting “Induced Demand”

April 2025

Expanding Congested Highways: Revisiting “Induced Demand”

A Fiscally Responsible Highways Reauthorization Bill

March 2025

A Fiscally Responsible Highways Reauthorization Bill

Farewell to New York’s Cordon Charge System?

February 2025

Farewell to New York’s Cordon Charge System?

Sustaining Transportation Infrastructure When the Free Money Runs Out

January 2025

Sustaining Transportation Infrastructure When the Free Money Runs Out

Time to Expand Private Activity Bonds for P3s

December 2024

Time to Expand Private Activity Bonds for P3s