New study finds 60% of Austin commuters heading downtown are still driving alone
Traffic planners now have numbers to back-up what we've all been seeing. A new survey shows too many cars heading downtown with just the driver on board.
60 percent of commuters are driving downtown alone. But that doesn't mean they liked it. Some are already weaning themselves from their cars. “For example they would drive to a park and ride and then take transit and then maybe walk from the transit station or the bus stop to their office,” says Kate Harrington, director of outreach and engagement for Movability, a transportation management association that works with employers to develop alternatives to those drive-alone commutes. Harrington adds, “A lot of downtown employers are motivated to reduce those drive alone commutes because parking is so pricey and people are spending so much time in traffic."
Movability worked with Cirrus Logic which moved its headquarters downtown in 2012. The longtime audio semiconductor provider immediately began providing free employee shuttle service into town and paying for any Capital Metro services employees may use. Bill Schnell, corporate communications manager for the company explained the benefits, “You can get caught up on email, you can listen to a podcast, you can do any number of things that's not driving on Mopac or I-35."
There's also a free shuttle to move Cirrus Logic employees around downtown keeping their cars off the streets and freeing up parking. “We're very happy to be an example to what companies can do to be work with their employees to help solve Austin's transportation problems," he says.
60 percent of commuters driving alone downtown is actually lower than the Austin citywide average of 74 percent. Movability says this new survey will serve as a baseline as they work with employers and the City of Austin to help the city meet its goal of reducing the share of drivers commuting alone to 50 percent by 2039.
