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The American Energy Consumer
Table 4-1.Percent and Number of
Passenger Miles per Person of Intercity Travel, by Transportation
Modes, Selected Years, 1950-1971
| Year |
Total traffic
volume |
Private
automobiles |
Airways |
Buses |
Rail-roads |
Inland
waterways |
|
Percent |
| 1950 |
100 |
86 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
|
| 1955 |
100 |
89 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
|
| 1960 |
100 |
90 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
| 1965 |
100 |
89 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
|
| 1970 |
100 |
87 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
|
| 1971 |
100 |
87 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Passenger miles per
person |
| 1950 |
3,345 |
2,884 |
66 |
171 |
211 |
8 |
| 1955 |
4,338 |
3,859 |
139 |
151 |
176 |
10 |
| 1960 |
4,356 |
3,922 |
189 |
106 |
122 |
15 |
| 1965 |
4,754 |
4,227 |
300 |
124 |
93 |
16 |
| 1970 |
5,814 |
5,034 |
584 |
123 |
54 |
20 |
| 1971 |
5,965 |
5,194 |
582 |
126 |
44 |
20 |
| Source: Prepared by
the Washington Center for Metropolitan Studies from U.S. Bureau of
the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1973,
Tables 2 and 885, pp. 5 and 538. |
rising income that have spurred the tremendous growth of
American energy use in travel.
One element
in the growth of energy use in transportation has been the shift
from less to more energy intensive modes of travel. Since 1950 and
even earlier the car has been the major means of intercity travel.
The shift has been primarily from trains and buses to airplanes
(see Table 4-1). The trend away from bus and rail travel can be
seen in the changes in the distances over which service is
provided. Between 1960 and 1970, the mileage over which trains
provided passenger service declined by almost 50 percent. The
mileage serviced by intercity bus increased by only 1 percent,
while the mileage of service provided by airplanes increased by 60
percent. In urban travel cars have replaced buses trolleys and
commuter trains. Between 1960 and 1970, urban bus route mileage
increased only 2 percent while railway, subway, and trolley routes
declined 40 percent (Table 4-4).
Government
action at all levels—local, state, and national—has
been very important in shaping the options presented to would-be
travellers. Zoning can affect how far it is to the grocery store
and to work. Local government