Driving the news: Raleigh has the most daily per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT) among the 50 most-populated U.S. metros, with 38.1. Charlotte is not far behind at 35.5.
San Francisco (21.7), Philadelphia (21.1) and New York City (14.4) came up last — which makes sense, given their relatively well-developed public transit networks, walkability and density.
Plus, they predate when America started building cities for cars, not people.
The numbers come from Replica , a mobility analytics firm that publishes traffic and other similar data based on anonymized mobile device info, roadside sensors, transit agencies and more. Data: Replica; Note: Includes cabs and rideshares; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios
Between the lines: Charlotte will likely remain a car-dominant city as local leaders — under pressure from lawmakers in more rural parts of the state — prioritize short-term road projects over ambitious rail.
What they're saying: Shannon Binns of Sustain Charlotte says this data is a reminder that Charlotte should reduce how much it's driving by funding public transit and building smarter development.
"We need more efficient, compact housing as opposed to urban sprawl," Binns said. "That's really critical to making transit more viable ... when people are living closer into the places that they need to access."
Construction of townhomes surpassed single-family homes in Mecklenburg County for the first time last year, as The Charlotte Ledger reported.
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