From the New York Times on May 31, 2008, by Floyd Norris, the story begins that Americans are driving less. Whoo Hoo!

In normal times, the number of miles driven in the United States rises each year, as more people drive more cars and as rising housing costs force some commuters to move farther and farther from their jobs.

But the Federal Highway Administration estimates that in March — the most recent month for which data is available — vehicles traveled 246 billion miles. That is a lot of driving, but the figure is down 4.3 percent from the previous March.

Monthly comparisons can be volatile, since changing holidays and weather can have substantial impacts that have nothing to do with decisions to drive less or more. But the trend seems to have begun last winter. In the 12 months through March, the total miles driven — 2.99 trillion — were nearly 1 percent below the figure for the 12 months before.

Before we even get near the potential solutions related to the transportation problem, we have to look at the myriad problems related to transportation in the United States.

Right now, the most common ways people travel in the United States for long distances continues to be by airplane and car. Even short distance traveled in the United States continues to be dominated by personal vehicles rather than rapid mass transit.

Partly, this is due to “rapid” being left out of the “mass transit” that is present in small and large cities. It’s difficult to have people believe in investments in the infrastructure necessary for new rail lines and more bus routes before there is a large enough mass of people willing to take advantage. But in the meantime, people feel compelled to use their personal cars, SUVs, and other means to get where they’re going, whether recreation or work on time, because it otherwise feels like rolling the dice on arriving promptly.