While poking around the latest U.S. census information(2000), I came across statistics for average commute times. Here are some average commute times for Troutdale, for Oregon, and for the U.S.:
Average travel time to work (minutes)-
Troutdale: 26; Oregon: 22; U.S.: 26
Average travel time to work using public transportation-
Troutdale:65; Oregon: 39; U.S: 48
Average travel time to work using other transportation-
Troutdale: 24; Oregon: 21; U.S: 24
For Troutdale residents, a 65 minute one way commute to work on Tri-Met translates to 10.8 hours in travel time per week, or 43.2 hours per month, or 512 hours per year.
Contrast the mass transit commute with a Troutdale resident driving to work. A 26 minute one way commute translates to 4.3 hours in travel time per week, or 17.3 hours per month, or 208 hours per year.
And Metro wants us to get out of our cars? I can think of many other things I'd rather do with my time than spend the equivalent of an entire work week on mass transit each month.
1 comment:
As a daily commuter from my home in Troutdale to my job in the Lloyd District (a block from the Portland Convention Center), I have to agree. With the exception of the occasional accident, driving typically takes me half the time as Tri-Met, and that assumes I first drive to the nearest MAX station (since the local bus only runs every half hour or so).
Heck, if friends/relatives fly in to PDX in the middle of the day, I can usually drive to the airport, pick them up, drive them to my house, and then return to work in less time than it would take them to get to my house via Tri-Met!
Now, if they'd built MAX correctly , and made it a rapid-transit commuter rail with only 3-4 stops between the end of the line and downtown Portland, things might be a bit different. But no, we seem determined to replace busses with expensive light rail trains that move at the same average speed as the busses they replace!
Post a Comment