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November 9, 2012

New phase of life for boomers will mean massive changes for U.S. transportation

  • If boomers stop commuting, will rush hours ease and gas taxes plunge? As driving skills erode, will demand soar for transit or driverless cars? Do we need benches at bus stops?
    • By JOAN LOWY
    Associated Press

    WASHINGTON — Baby boomers, that giant population bubble born between 1946 and 1964, started driving at a young age and became more mobile than any generation before or since.

    When the 74 million boomers started building families, they acquired “his” and “hers” cars and helped spread a housing boom to the fringes of the nation's suburbs. Traffic congestion spiraled when boomer women began commuting to work like their husbands and fathers. And with dual-earner families came an outsourcing of the traditional style of life at home, leading to the emergence of daycare, the habit of eating out more often — and the appearance of more and more cars and SUVs.


     
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