Our blog on July
27 covered May’s record-breaking decrease in miles driven – 9.6 billion
fewer miles driven in May 2008 than May 2007. Well, Americans, we’ve done it
again, driving
12.2 billion fewer miles this past June than we did in June 2007. This is
great news considering that June starts off vacation season and shows that
people are really taking to heart what the oil crisis means. This isn’t to make
light of people who struggle to fill their tanks to get through an average day,
but hopefully this hits home to the people who can make a difference, such as
lawmakers who can encourage the development of alternative fuel sources,
community builders who can make it easier for people to live without needing a
car, and city leaders who can make our communities more bicycle- and
pedestrian-friendly.

Now we’re in August, and we’re starting to see a slow
decline in the cost of gas, so it will be interesting to see if these
record-breaking decreases in driving are coming from economic hardship or out
of a real commitment to change for the better.