New Jerseyans are driving less miles according to a report released Thursday.

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A report by the NPIRG Law and Policy Center shows New Jersey residents traveled 461 fewer miles between 2007 and 2010.  Nationally, the number of miles fell by 6 percent.

“This is good news for our economy and environment, but means New Jersey’s funding for transit, biking and walking projects must keep pace with rising demand,” said Janna Chernetz, New Jersey Advocate for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

While the report reveals a varierty of reasons for the decrease in driven miles, expanded mass transit options in New Jersey is one main contributing factor.

The trend away from driving is even more pronounced among young people.  Motorists between ages 16 to 34 drove 23% fewer miles in 2009 than people in that same age group in 2001.  The report also shows a drop in the number of people in this age group with their driver’s licenses.  Again, the drop in driving miles is mainly contribued to mass transit, with an increase of 40% in the annual number of miles traveled on mass transit between 2001 and 2009.

“New Jersey is taking mass transit more than ever before, and our leaders need to start figuring out how to build the modern transportation infrastructure that my generation will need for the future,” said Katie Nuber, a senior at Rutgers Newark and intern with the NJPIRG Student Chapters.

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