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Regional differences in the determinants of Oregon VMT

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  • Ke, Yue
  • McMullen, B. Starr

Abstract

Road user charges (RUCs) in the form of per mile charges have been suggested as an alternative to fuel taxes to help keep up with the costs of maintaining and expanding public road systems. The success of a RUC in providing for the long term stability of highway finance depends partly on how drivers respond to changes in the tax structure and also other determinants of driving behavior. Region specific characteristics, such as public transit accessibility and biking infrastructure, may also affect vehicle miles traveled (VMT) demand. This paper uses econometric techniques to examine the determinants of VMT using data from the Oregon Household Activities Survey (OHAS). We use standard OLS regression to examine the impact of urban density, household income, fuel cost, transit mileage, household location, and additional household characteristics on VMT. Preliminary results show that statewide Oregon demand for VMT is positively and significantly impacted by household income. Statewide, fuel price, transit use and population density are all found to be statistically significant and negatively related to household VMT. However, at the regional level some of these variables lose significance. Holding all factors constant, household VMT is found to differ by region as well as by population density.

Suggested Citation

  • Ke, Yue & McMullen, B. Starr, 2017. "Regional differences in the determinants of Oregon VMT," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 2-10.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:62:y:2017:i:c:p:2-10
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2017.03.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Starr McMullen, B. & Zhang, Lei & Nakahara, Kyle, 2010. "Distributional impacts of changing from a gasoline tax to a vehicle-mile tax for light vehicles: A case study of Oregon," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 359-366, November.
    2. Joseph Kile, 2011. "Testimony on the Highway Trust Fund and Paying for Highways," Reports 41455, Congressional Budget Office.
    3. Kenneth A. Small & Kurt Van Dender, 2007. "Fuel Efficiency and Motor Vehicle Travel: The Declining Rebound Effect," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1), pages 25-52.
    4. Sarah E. West, 2005. "Equity Implications of Vehicle Emissions Taxes," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 39(1), pages 1-24, January.
    5. McMullen, B. Starr & Eckstein, Nathan, 2013. "Determinants of VMT in Urban Areas: A Panel Study of 87 U.S. Urban Areas 1982-2009," Journal of the Transportation Research Forum, Transportation Research Forum, vol. 52(3).
    6. Halvorsen, Robert & Palmquist, Raymond, 1980. "The Interpretation of Dummy Variables in Semilogarithmic Equations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(3), pages 474-475, June.
    7. Joseph Kile, 2011. "Testimony on the Highway Trust Fund and Paying for Highways," Reports 41455, Congressional Budget Office.
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    VMT determinants; Road use charge; Location type;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R40 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - General
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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