PUBLIC TRANSIT USE DECLINES

(ENS) - Americans are enduring longer commutes, and fewer of them are able to use transit, walking or other means to avoid the drive, according to new national Census figures. "Travel choices are narrowing for many Americans when it comes to the work trip," said David Burwell, president of the Surface Transportation Policy Project, a group working to promote environmentally friendly, energy efficient transportation options. Recent census population figures show that most population growth has occurred in metropolitan areas, but outside central cities. These suburban areas are often spread out, where buses and trains are less available and carpooling is inconvenient. The number of people living in these areas grew by 18 percent since the last census while the number of people living in the central cities, where transit, bicycling, and walking infrastructure are more prevalent, grew by just eight percent. "Limited investments to create walkable, transit friendly communities have not been able to offset the prevalence of unplanned, sprawling development that requires a car for every trip," Burwell said. Investment in transportation choices has grown over the past decade, but still lags far behind federal investment in roads. During the 1990s, the federal government put $156 billion in federal funds into highways but only $45 billion on transit, bicycling, and walking facilities combined. More information is available at: www.transact.org.