Driver Survey Favors Flexible Work Hours, More Freeway Lanes

Orange County motorists favor staggered or flexible working hours over car pooling and buses to ease traffic congestion, according to an Orange County Transportation Commission survey released Thursday.

And the study by the Research Network Ltd. of Laguna Beach found that county motorists would prefer adding more freeway lanes to the options of improving surface streets, building new freeways, improving the bus system or adding more car pool lanes.

About 57% of the 400 people surveyed said they use a freeway daily and commute an average of only 20.9 minutes a day.

The relatively short commuting time means that more drivers are commuting to jobs within the county rather than driving to jobs in Los Angeles and elsewhere outside the county, Matt Disston, a spokesman for the Research Network, said in an interview Thursday.

He said the trend reflects the fact that more jobs have been created in Orange County than in Los Angeles County since 1980.

“We didn’t ask those surveyed for their destination points, but I believe it does mean that people in Buena Park, for instance, are no longer driving to work in as large numbers to Los Angeles but going to work in Orange County,” Disston said.

The residents were interviewed in a telephone survey between Oct. 21 and 30, Disston said. The survey, released at a commission forum at Cal State Fullerton, was touted by commission staff members as the county’s first attempt to focus on the public’s transportation attitudes.

To help alleviate congestion, about 45% of the respondents said, they now use or expressed an interest in working flexible hours. About 34% said the same for car-pooling or ride-sharing; 17% use or are interested in buses, while only 15% said they use or could use van pools.

Lack of Motivation

The three biggest problems adding to congestion are too many people, inadequate roads and a lack of motivation to change driving habits, the survey found.

Asked to rate five long-range projects, the clear choice is adding more freeway traffic lanes. Using a 10-point scale, the survey found that adding more traffic lanes scored a 7.49, improving surface streets received a 6.58, building new freeways was 6.29 and improving the public bus system was 6.17. Adding more car-pool lanes scored a 5.94.

In addition to seeking funds for freeway improvements, the county faces a public relations problem in persuading residents of the seriousness of traffic congestion, Disston said.

He said freeway users here still believe Los Angeles traffic snarls are worse, and that means “they’re not ready yet to do something about it.”

“In fact, the problem in Los Angeles may not be worse,” he said. “But as long as motorists believe it is and the perception exists, it will make it tough for legislators to galvanize public support for solutions.”

Disston said in the interview that he did not know what might prompt the public to change its driving habits.

“We found in a similar survey of Riverside residents that they were driving a median time of 51 minutes on the freeway. That’s the average, and it means some are on the freeway for an hour or longer,” he said.

Problem Getting Worse

“I’m sure there is a breaking point, but Riverside County is still growing and the problem is going to get worse. Is it gridlock?” he asked.

One of the solutions is more funding, but those surveyed favored by 59% to 41% reallocating tax revenues to transportation projects rather than raising taxes, the survey said.

But of those surveyed who said they were against a tax increase, 38% said reallocation of available taxes was a poor idea if it meant reducing services such as education, and fire and police protection.

Supervisor Bruce Nestande, one of the forum panelists, said the public’s anti-tax sentiment “isn’t really new.” The major issue was funding resources, he said.

“To continually search for money elsewhere isn’t going to work because those funds are already allocated,” Nestande said.

Orange county voters in 1984 overwhelmingly rejected a 1-cent sales tax increase to finance highway and transit projects.

He said county projects already proposed include the widening and improvement of the Santa Ana Freeway, reconstruction of the interchange between the Santa Ana and Costa Mesa freeways, widening of the San Diego Freeway and extension of the Costa Mesa Freeway as far as 19th Street.

Other panelists included State Sen. John Seymour, (R-Anaheim), UCI Professor Charles Lave, and La Habra City Manager Lee Risner.