Car Use Expands in San Francisco Bay Area at 3-Times National Rate

Car travel in the San Francisco Bay is rising rapidly, at more than three times the national rate per capita. Data from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission indicates that from 2000 to 2007, total daily vehicle miles traveled increased from 140,100,000 to 152,100,000. Per capita driving increased from 20.6 miles to 22.2 miles, an increase of 7.6 percent.

By comparison, the national increase in driving per capita over the same period was 2.1 percent.

United States Bureau of the Census data shows that the San Francisco Bay Area has slipped into laggard growth, having added only 0.3 percent to its population annually. This is a slower growth rate than Italy. The Bay Area has become one of the nation’s slowest growing areas, at least partially due to huge increases in housing costs.

See: San Francisco Bay Area Travel Data