Commute Habits Changing Very Little

By HUGO MARTIN

Aug. 7, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Despite massive investments in public transit and ride-share programs, California’s commuters have not dramatically altered their driving habits to use mass transit, carpools or other options to reduce freeway congestion, the Census Bureau reported Monday.

Most Californians still prefer to drive alone to work even though the time they spend on the road is growing longer, according to a supplemental survey by the Census Bureau.

The census figures show a marginal increase since 1990 in the percentage of California workers who use public transit. But that gain was overshadowed by a larger drop in the percentage of drivers who use carpools.

Some transportation officials said the census figures are a wake-up call to transit planners to find cheaper and more convenient ways for commuters to share a ride.

“We need to take action besides just putting in a new rail line and just saying, ‘Here it is,’ ” said Hasan Ikhrata, who oversees transportation planning and analysis for the Southern California Assn. of Governments.

The new numbers come from a survey of 700,000 homes, released Monday, that supplements Census 2000. The Census Bureau wants to expand and conduct this type of survey annually, possibly as a replacement for the decennial long form.

The census figures describe commuting trends for workers 16 and older in all 50 states. The report does not measure the habits of the entire traveling public, which includes students, retired people, stay-at-home parents and others.

Many transportation experts say that when all segments of the population are counted, Californians are riding public transit in record numbers.

Still, the Census Bureau has focused on the travel habits of commuters because time lost on the way to work represents lost productivity and even lost profits.

Despite its reputation as the nation’s center for car culture, the Golden State’s commuting habits were not dramatically different from the nation’s as a whole.

For example:

* The percentage of California workers who used public transportation rose from 4.9% in 1990 to 5.4% last year. In the entire nation, that number remained nearly unchanged.

* In California, the percentage of workers who use carpools dropped from 14.6% in 1990 to 13.9% last year. Throughout the nation, that percentage took an even bigger drop, from 13.4% in 1990 to 11.2% by 2000.

* In California, the percentage of workers who drove alone rose slightly, from 71.6% in 1990 to 72.4% in 2000. The percentage of single-occupant drivers throughout the nation rose even more, from 73.2% in 1990 to 76.3% last year.

* The average commute time for California workers rose from about 27 minutes to 28 minutes each way. The average U.S. commute time rose from about 25 minutes in 1990 to 26 minutes in 2000.

The census data do not support the stereotype of Californians as car crazy: The average household owns 1.78 vehicles, only fractionally higher than the national average.

In fact, California ranked 30th in the category of vehicles per household, with Wyoming (2.07 vehicles) and Idaho (2.06 vehicles) at the top of the list.

Transportation experts suggest that California’s low ranking in this category could be attributed to the growing influx of low-wage immigrants, many of whom cannot afford cars.

Transportation experts say California’s commuting data indicate a discouraging trend--but not a surprising one.

They argue that dramatically altering the driving habits of California workers is a long and arduous process.

“It’s not surprising because driving is still perceived as the cheapest, most convenient mode of transportation,” Ikhrata said.

This perception apparently has not been changed by the huge investments made in mass transit and carpool lanes--particularly in Southern California.

State Spends Billions on Transit Programs

Between 1990 and 2000, the state spent more than $12 billion on mass transit programs and added 800 miles of carpool lanes on the freeways.

That is in addition to mass transit dollars provided by federal and local governments.

In Southern California, that money helped build a 17-mile subway line in downtown Los Angeles and a 42-mile light rail system that stretches from downtown to Long Beach and Norwalk to Redondo Beach.

State and local transit dollars also paid for a 419-mile commuter rail system that stretches from Oxnard to Orange County.

In Northern California, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system added more than 22 miles of track, expanding the mass transit rail system from 71 to 94 miles since 1995.

So why haven’t commuting trends changed dramatically?

Alan Pisarski, author of “Commuting in America,” said he believes business and demographic trends in California are making ride-sharing less convenient.

He said many businesses in the 1990s reduced their work forces and moved to the suburbs, making it harder for commuters to find a fellow worker who has the same destination and work schedule.

“All of the forces are conspiring against carpools,” Pisarski said.

Bill Fulton, a Ventura-based regional planning expert, said planning and development have also played a role in the state’s commuting trends. He said development continues to be designed to accommodate single-occupant drivers, not mass transit users.

“Our jobs are dispersed to the suburbs and our suburbs are built around the car,” he said.

State Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), a staunch critic of the state’s expansion of the carpool lane system, said the census figures show that commuters, for the most part, reject ride-sharing because it is inconvenient and time consuming.

“If [the carpool lanes] worked, you would expect to see increases in the percentage of carpoolers as we increased the number of carpool lanes, and that hasn’t happened,” he said.

Jill Smolinski, a spokeswoman for Southern California Rideshare, said the percentage of commuters who use carpools in Southern California has remained steady at about 14% since 1990.

She defended the carpool system but suggested that it has not caught on in bigger numbers because of a lack of marketing and advertising.

Compared to other parts of California, carpool lanes in Orange County appear to be bucking the trends revealed by the Census Bureau. A report issued in January 2000 by the Legislative Analyst’s Office shows that carpool lanes in Orange County are the most popular in the state.

Figures indicate that each carpool lane in Orange County handles on average 1,568 vehicles per hour during peak travel times. The volume is very close to the state standard for maximum use of 1,650 vehicles per hour.

The county has about 174 miles of carpool lanes and another 40 miles are planned. All are for vehicles carrying two or more passengers.

“People are using carpool lanes in Orange County and their use has steadily increased,” said George Urch, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority. “We are definitely bucking the trend.”

Some transportation experts suggested that trends toward mass transit were stifled in the 1990s by relatively cheap gasoline and a robust economy.

Times staff writer Dan Weikel contributed to this report.

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Travel Times for California Workers

AVERAGE COMMUTE TIMES

California in 2000: 28 minutes

in 1990: 27 minutes

U.S. in 2000: 26 minutes

in 1990: 25 minutes

IN MINUTES

90 or more

2000: 2.7%