Investing in light rail can reduce how much people drive – butonly for those close to stations

Despite the pervasiveness of cars and driving in the US, some cities are pushing public transit projects. But what are the benefits of such projects? In new research, Steven Spears looks at the impacts of a new light rail scheme in Los Angeles. Using a household survey, he finds that households near stations drove 29 percent fewer miles than those farther away 18 months after the new line opened, though the number of trips taken by car and rail remained the same. Households more than 1 kilometer away from stations did not change their driving behavior, however.