Traffic patterns, aging population indicate growth is slowing

“The statistical data is only as good as the sources who will fill it out and send it back in”

Rapid commercial and residential development has given people more places to live, work and shop in metro-east, but recent information shows that population and traffic growth have slowed and could affect future development.

Research by the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council has found that metro-east households are shrinking and aging. Local traffic patterns indicate the trend as area traffic patterns have grown slower than they did between 1970 and 2000. Recorded vehicle miles traveled are not growing as rapidly as they once did throughout the St. Louis area, and higher gas prices are not the reason. According to the study, the number of miles driven has decreased as a result of shrinking household sizes and an aging population. Read more