Skip to content
Sponsored

Does Constant Driving Really Make Our Country Richer?

A new study reveals that constant driving is making America less productive and prosperous — and getting people on other modes could help right the ship.
Sponsored

We’ve all heard the argument that the United States economy is fueled by Americans’ love of driving. But does the data support the narrative that cars connect us to far-flung opportunities to make and spend more money — or has our country’s car-powered productivity revolution actually stalled out?

Today on The Brake, we’re talking to Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute about his new paper on the “mobility-productivity paradox,” and why so many economic indicators actually go down the more we collectively rely on automobiles — and many go up when we build towards a more multimodal future. And then we get into the really hard question: how to get our fellow Americans to believe it. 

Litman recently contributed a piece to Streetsblog NYC’s “Car Harms” series, so check it out here.

For an unedited transcript of this conversation (with typos), click here.

Photo of Kea Wilson
Kea Wilson is Senior Editor for Streetsblog USA. She has more than a dozen years experience as a writer telling emotional, urgent and actionable stories that motivate average Americans to get involved in making their cities better places. She is also a novelist, cyclist, and affordable housing advocate. She lives in St. Louis, MO. For tips, submissions, and general questions, reach out ther at kea@streetsblog.org, on X at @streetsblogkea, or on Bluesky @keawilson.bsky.social.
Sponsored

Support Streetsblog

Comments Are Temporarily Disabled

Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.

Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The H.A.R.D. Fight Against Hit-and-Runs

December 12, 2025

Wednesday’ Headlines Are on Autopilot

December 10, 2025

City Shuts Down Volunteer Crosswalk Painting Event in Los Angeles

December 9, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Set the Record Straight

December 9, 2025
See all posts