Clevelanders are driving more than before the pandemic
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Clevelanders are driving more than they did before COVID, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: Driving plummeted during the lockdown period, giving cities a chance to get a lasting handle on transportation emissions.
- They didn't.
Driving the news: We're in the midst of the national Week Without Driving challenge.
- Local leaders, including Cleveland planning director Joyce Huang and public health director David Margolius, are commuting to work via bike and public transit to highlight the barriers non-drivers face.
The big picture: Average daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita increased 12.3% across the 100 biggest U.S. metro areas this past spring compared to the same period in 2019, per a new report from StreetLight Data, a transportation analytics firm.
- In Cleveland, it was an 8.7% increase.
- A separate study earlier this year found Clevelanders logged the 29th-highest rate of daily miles traveled (27.4) in the nation.
Between the lines: While higher VMT tends to mean more vehicle-related emissions, it can also be a sign of changes generally perceived as positive, like more economic activity.
- Lower VMT can be a sign of successful public transit or cycling projects — or an indication that people are still working hybrid or remotely.
Yes, but: "It's not just that [VMT] is back up, but we're actually seeing a bit of an acceleration compared to the previous couple of years," Emily Adler, director of content at StreetLight, tells Axios.
- "So that suggests that we're not peaking, that whatever efforts we've strived for to keep VMT down, they're not quite working — or they're not working yet."

