Traffic Volume Increases in Feb. for Third Month
Despite rising gas prices this year, overall traffic volume increased in both January by 1.6% and in February by 1.8%, compared to year-earlier levels, according to data released this week by the Federal Highway Administration. The 1.8% increase in February was the largest annual gain in monthly travel volume since October 2010. Perhaps the increase in traffic volume was due to the mild winter weather this year, or maybe it reflects an economic recovery that is gradually gaining momentum?
6 Comments:
I would not rule out a mild winter as a major factor. I'd wait until May or even June to get excited about this one.
does anyone know how they actually calculate this?
this data seems like a wild estimate and i'm wondering how they could possibly get it to a degree of accuracy where 1 and 2% moves would be discernible within the error.
I think it is probably a sense of misguided optimism, fueled by several years of quantitative easing which is now making its way to the last benefactor of monetary debasement: the working class. All hail the new bubbles (which must eventually burst in a flurry of "how did that happen?!)!
Using the data source at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/tvtw/tvtpage.cfm instead, billions of miles traveled (12 month MA) miles traveled is down 1% YoY.
Using a trailing 12 month total, miles traveled is down 9.2% YoY.
This data matches the finished gasoline product supplied MUCH netter, which is off 2.7% YoY.
Note also that finished gasoline supplied peaked at 298,827,000 barrels in July 2007, and is down to 253,782,000 as of Jan 2012.
How the hell do you adjust the numbers for the huge variation in climate influenced travel conditions? If you can't this data is meaningless.
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