Editorial: Cold comfort in an LIE rush hour
The Long Island Expressway in Roslyn at dusk. Views look west just west of Glen Cove Rd. Westbound traffic is on the right. (Oct. 7, 2011) Credit: David Pokress
Has the American love affair with cars and cruising stalled? The numbers suggest it may have, and not entirely because of economic troubles. After rising for decades, the total miles people in the United States drive annually peaked in 2007. It dropped sharply during the Great Recession, and hasn't recovered with the economy. And the average miles each driver logs peaked in 2004 and has dropped 9 percent since.
In addition, the share of teens, and people in their 20s, 30s and 40s with drivers licenses, has been dropping significantly.
Driving is expensive. In an ever more crowded nation, motoring and parking are hassles. Fewer miles driven means less road wear, spewn pollution and imported foreign oil. And no one, anywhere, would like to see (other) people reduce their driving more than we Long Islanders.
