Charlotte loves its cars more than almost any other U.S. city (Axios)
Charlotte is doing more driving than almost all other major U.S. cities, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: Charlotte strives to be a walkable, bikeable city and dreams of shiny rapid transit. Realistically, people are still tethered to their cars, though. That won’t change any time soon.
Driving the news: Raleigh has the most daily per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT) among the 50 most-populated U.S. metros, with 38.1. Charlotte is not far behind at 35.5.
What they’re saying: Shannon Binns of Sustain Charlotte says this data is a reminder that Charlotte should reduce how much it’s driving by funding public transit and building smarter development.
“We need more efficient, compact housing as opposed to urban sprawl,” Binns said. “That’s really critical to making transit more viable … when people are living closer into the places that they need to access.”