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Indicator: Vehicle Miles Traveled

Data and Data Discussion provided by Puget Sound Regional Council

Figure 1: Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled by County 1980-2007

Figure 2: Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita 1980-2007

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Work Commute Choices --- The proportion of commuters in King County who drive alone decreased slightly from 1990 to 2007. The proportion who carpool, use public transportation, bike, walk or use other means to commute to work increased slightly during this period.   (view data graph)
  •   Housing Affordability by City --- Homes prices have increased at a greater rate than incomes over the last two decades, making home ownership less affordable. However, rents have increased at a slower rate, generally in line with median household incomes.  (view data graph)
  •   Land Use Mix --- The data for this indicator was taken from a snapshot study of King County.  
  •   Urban Growth Trends --- As of 2003, 85 percent of the region’s total population and 96 percent of its jobs were located within designated urban growth areas. The data show that over time each county, and the region overall, is making progress in directing a greater proportion of new development to the urban growth areas.  (view data graph)
  •   Walkability Index --- In 2005, King County finished a major study called “Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality and Health” (which led to the current program HealthScape), that measured how specific land use and transportation actions affect air quality, mobility, congestion, and public health. No trend data are yet available.   (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Annual Traffic Delay per Peak Traveler --- In the past 10 years, the annual traffic delay per traveler in the Seattle/Tacoma/Everett area has decreased from 52 hours to 45 hours. However, the area is one of the worst for unreliability and congestion costs and on-time performance for King County Metro busses is below targets.  (view data graph)
  •   Air Quality --- The number of good and moderate air quality days has remained steady since 2001. Before then, the number of moderate days declined as good days increased. People most at risk to exposure to pollutants include children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and people with respiratory problems. Poor air quality can also impair scenic visibility, affect vegetation and cause damage to the built environment.   (view data graph)
  •   Carbon Footprint --- Since 2004, the state's and King County's emissions have been on the rise. In particular, transportation related GHG emissions and total energy use in King County continue to rise.  (view data graph)
  •   Motor Vehicle Injury and Death Rates --- Since 1992, King County residents have seen a significant decline in hospitalizations due to motor vehicle injuries in all four regions. However, King County data suggest a leveling off of prior declines starting in 2002. Only the East Region has continued to show a decline.  (view data graph)
  •   Prevalence of Overweight & Obese Adults --- The proportion of King County adults who are overweight and obese continues to climb. • The combined percent of overweight and obese adults has increased in each of the four regions of King County since 1994.  (view data graph)
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Related Goals

Sustainability Snapshot:

Too much time in our cars poses a number of serious problems. There’s congestion which costs residents and businesses in the Central Puget Sound hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost productivity. Air quality suffers. And there’s climate change. The principal source of Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions is transportation, accounting for 47% of total emissions in 2005. Transportation-related emissions are also projected to be the largest contributor to future emissions growth in the state from 2005 to 2020.

Sustainability Trend:

In 2007, VMT for the Puget Sound region increased by 0.6 percent over 2006, continuing an almost 30-year trend. Annual VMT has decreased only three times since 1980 when the first estimates became available.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Average weekday vehicle miles traveled (region wide).

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

In 2007, VMT for the Puget Sound region increased by 0.6 percent over 2006, continuing an almost 30-year trend. Annual VMT has decreased only three times since 1980 when the first estimates became available.

Of the region’s average daily VMT (82 million in 2007), 55.0 percent occurs on King County roads, 21.2 percent in Pierce County, 18.3 percent in Snohomish County and 5.5 percent in Kitsap County. Figure 1 shows the county-level VMT by year since 1980. It’s important to note that the VMT values correspond to vehicles traveling on each county’s roads regardless of origin or destination rather than the vehicle miles generated by each county’s residents.

As expected, freeways account for a large part of our region’s VMT. In the Seattle-Everett urbanized area, 43 percent of VMT occurs on freeways and expressways. Arterials account for about 38 percent while local roads produce 19 percent.

While total vehicle miles traveled increased in 2007, VMT per capita decreased over 2006 levels from 23.1 to 22.9 vehicle miles per capita per day. Figure 2 shows VMT per capita in the Puget Sound region since 1980. VMT per capita increased substantially during the 1980s, rising from 16.3 vehicle miles per capita in 1980 to 23.2 in 1989 due to increased vehicle ownership and two-worker households. VMT per capita generally leveled off or increased minimally during the 1990s and has been declining slightly since 1999 when it peaked at 24.2 VMT per capita. The recent decrease can be attributed to several factors including increased transit usage (regional transit ridership was up 19.6 percent from 1999 to 2007 — but only up 6.4 percent per capita) and rising fuel prices during this period (close to 300 percent increase from 6/99 to 6/07). These per capita numbers don’t account for VMT in the region stemming from persons living outside the four-county area.

Data Source and Limitations

 For more information, read Puget Sound Trends, "Trends in Vehicle Miles Traveled" September 2008

 

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