What’s your ride? Car? Carpool? Bus?
If you live in the St. Louis area and drive to work, you’re probably driving alone.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released commuting characteristics for the St. Louis metropolitan area that show 90.9 percent of us in 2007 commuted by car, truck or van. Of that number, and 82.4 percent drove to work solo.
The American Community Survey provides a glimpse into commuting characteristics.There’s been a slight uptick in the number of people commuting by bike, public transit and by foot. Here’s the breakdown for our region:
The Census reports that 1.6 percent of commuters got to work by walking in 2007, compared with 1.3 percent in 2005. Bicycling also remains a commuting choice for a small segment of the population, with 0.2 percent biking to work last year, up from 0.1 percent in 2005. Public transportation was the choice for 2.6 percent, up from 2.2 percent in 2005.
Carpooling was more popular than any of the alternatives, after driving alone: 8.6 percent of those surveyed carpooled in 2007, down from 9 percent in 2005.
I don’t have a lot of choice on this one. I live near Alton, I work midnights in Bridgeton. (25 miles) No bus, no train,have to leave way too early to ride a bike, nobody else working those hours in these areas. I talk to myself and sing along with the radio.
I quite happily take Metrolink and Metrobus to work and also for shopping and errands. I have a car, but I don’t use it much. I currently live near the Loop but am looking for a new place in CWE or downtown. Transit plays a HUGE role in where I’ll live.
I live in St. Louis county and work in Franklin county, I work a rotating shift which changes every week with rotating days off so I work sixteen weekends in a row. I work holidays, weekends, six day weeks. There are six other people who work my schedule, none of whom live in St.Louis county much less anywhere near me. Also, I work quite a bit of overtime which I do not know if I’m working or not when I go to work. You tell me my choices!!
I use any combo of car, bus, train and bike. I agree with Allison - transit plays a huge role in where I live. I’m looking for a new house and I want to be as close to a MetroLink station as possible; even if they cut service after 8 I’ll be able to get to & from work every day, in all kinds of weather, in climate-controlled relaxing comfort, reading & listening to my iPod. It’s like having a personal driver, which really helps my stress level.
The cost of prop M failing is going to be staggering. 700 jobs lost at Metro plus jobs lost at the companys that support Metro with parts, cleaning, etc. There are thousands of people who won’t be able to get to their jobs at hospitals, nursing homes and restaurants. People who make $8 or less an hour and can’t afford cars. But alas that’s what the region wanted.
I live in St. Peters and work about as downtown St. Louis as you can get. I do drive most of the time, (it takes twice as long to drive to the Hanley stataion, then metrolink to Laclede’s landing,) but last year, when it snowed, Hanley to Laclede’s is exactly what I did. I was really hoping Prop. M would pass and I could look forward to the Westport expansion, however, it was not to happen. Perhaps next time. Now that I’m older and wiser, I could really kick the St. Charles area for voting Metro down when they had the chance (two chances if I’m thinking correctly.) The idea of being able to hop onto Metrolink or Bus at Midrivers and shooting to downtown is certainly appealing now… Darn it all….