D.C. workers commute longer, more likely to use transit
By: Kytja Weir
Examiner Staff Writer
September 22, 2009
Washington-area workers spent more time getting to work than the average American last year, but slightly more of them tried carpooling instead of driving alone.
Local commuters spent an average of 33 minutes getting to work, nearly eight minutes a day more than the national average, according to data released Monday from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The difference quickly adds up to hours wasted each month.
The average times ranged from a low of slightly more than 27 minutes in Arlington County to just over 38 minutes of commuting for Prince William County residents. The amount of time commuting did not change significantly from 2007.
Still, the Census Bureau estimates that more than 100,000 local workers spend 90 minutes or more commuting in a region known for congested arteries and its far-flung bedroom communities.
"With all of the gridlock and all the construction, it just wears you out each day," said John Townsend, a AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman. "It's backbreaking. It's like having a second job."
So workers in the Washington area, known for its "slug" lines where drivers pick up strangers, were slightly more likely to share those long rides than their national peers. The share of carpoolers rose less than one percentage point to 11 percent of local commuters compared with 10.7 percent nationally.
As many as 16.6 percent of workers carpooled in Prince William County, where high-occupancy vehicle travel lanes give carpoolers a hefty advantage on Interstate 95.
As many as 16.6 percent of workers carpooled in Prince William County, where high-occupancy vehicle travel lanes give carpoolers a hefty advantage on Interstate 95.
Not surprisingly in an area with Metro, commuter trains and myriad bus services, more local residents took public transportation than typical Americans. Just over 13 percent of Washington-area commuters used public transit in 2008 compared with a national average of 5 percent.
The information was released just before Tuesday's World Car-Free Day, when commuters are encouraged to leave behind their cars or at least carpool. Still, more than three out of four Washington commuters drove to work last year, dropping slightly to 77.3 percent from 78.1 percent in 2007.
"It's not as good as people could hope for on car-free Tuesday," Townsend said.
But the reliance on cars varies greatly by how far from downtown D.C. one lives. In the District, nearly 36 percent of commuters took public transportation to work compared with just 2 percent in Loudoun County.
