Categories: Need to know

Commuters prefer cars: StatsCan

Average commute in big cities takes 30 minutes

by macleans.ca on Thursday, August 25, 2011 11:30am - 15 Comments

A new Statistics Canada study suggests that the majority of Canadian commuters snub public transit, regardless of its environmental friendliness and cost benefits. The data, collected in 2010, shows that 82 per cent of commuters prefer cars to trains, buses, bicycles, and walking. 12 per cent favour public transit, and only 6 per cent walk or cycle. Commuters in Canada’s largest cities spend an average of 30 minutes getting to work. Overall, Canadians prefer their cars to public transit, because “on average, in 2010, public transport took twice as long as driving a car”.

The Montreal Gazette

Tags: Getting Around

http://www.facebook.com/paulwatt.canada Paul Watt

As far as carbon emissions go, numerous studies show that diesel buses emit more per passenger/km than an average car carrying a single passenger/km, so the environmental advantages of transit are not that clear.
http://www.facebook.com/paulwatt.canada Paul Watt

As far as carbon emissions go, numerous studies show that diesel buses emit more per passenger/km than an average car carrying a single passenger/km, so the environmental advantages of transit are not that clear.

Anonymous

Except those ‘studies’ are completely false.

The average gasoline powered car emits roughly ~1# of CO2/km
A mid 90s diesel bus emits roughly ~6.4# CO2/km

So one old bus emits 6 times more than the average car on the road these days.
Newer diesel and diesel/hybrid buses have emissions closer to 2.5 to 4.5
Anonymous

Except those ‘studies’ are completely false.

The average gasoline powered car emits roughly ~1# of CO2/km
A mid 90s diesel bus emits roughly ~6.4# CO2/km

So one old bus emits 6 times more than the average car on the road these days.
Newer diesel and diesel/hybrid buses have emissions closer to 2.5 to 4.5

Anonymous

Or we could just move to rapid light transit.
Anonymous

Definitely a case of time and flexibility for many. The further one has to travel, the less sense public transit makes.

In my case, by car at rush hour, it’s a minimum 45 minutes one way. By transit, according to people I know who have used it, the same trip is a minimum 2 hours – if you’re lucky enough to make all the connections. As I live in Brampton (northwest of Toronto) and work in Scarborough) east end of Toronto) I’d need to use at least two and probably three transit systems to get back and forth. Most of the routes out of Brampton are aimed at getting to downtown Toronto; there isn’t a really effective and quick grid to get me between locations.
Anonymous

Definitely a case of time and flexibility for many. The further one has to travel, the less sense public transit makes.

In my case, by car at rush hour, it’s a minimum 45 minutes one way. By transit, according to people I know who have used it, the same trip is a minimum 2 hours – if you’re lucky enough to make all the connections. As I live in Brampton (northwest of Toronto) and work in Scarborough) east end of Toronto) I’d need to use at least two and probably three transit systems to get back and forth. Most of the routes out of Brampton are aimed at getting to downtown Toronto; there isn’t a really effective and quick grid to get me between locations.
http://twitter.com/Padeeo Patrick

The reverse would be true if people had as efficient and accessible a service as the tramway I use everyday in Bordeaux.
Anonymous

I took the bus to work when I was much younger and lived in Edmonton. I was pregnant and worked in the downtown. No one would give me a seat so I stood with my big belly pushed right into a person’s face for a whole hot summer. Then one day I saw a guy with his hand down his pants, checking out his boys. That kind of decided it for me that the public transit really is a lousy option.
Anonymous

I took the bus to work when I was much younger and lived in Edmonton. I was pregnant and worked in the downtown. No one would give me a seat so I stood with my big belly pushed right into a person’s face for a whole hot summer. Then one day I saw a guy with his hand down his pants, checking out his boys. That kind of decided it for me that the public transit really is a lousy option.
Anonymous

I took the bus to work when I was much younger and lived in Edmonton. I was pregnant and worked in the downtown. No one would give me a seat so I stood with my big belly pushed right into a person’s face for a whole hot summer. Then one day I saw a guy with his hand down his pants, checking out his boys. That kind of decided it for me that the public transit really is a lousy option.
Anonymous

I took the bus to work when I was much younger and lived in Edmonton. I was pregnant and worked in the downtown. No one would give me a seat so I stood with my big belly pushed right into a person’s face for a whole hot summer. Then one day I saw a guy with his hand down his pants, checking out his boys. That kind of decided it for me that the public transit really is a lousy option.
Anonymous

I took the bus to work when I was much younger and lived in Edmonton. I was pregnant and worked in the downtown. No one would give me a seat so I stood with my big belly pushed right into a person’s face for a whole hot summer. Then one day I saw a guy with his hand down his pants, checking out his boys. That kind of decided it for me that the public transit really is a lousy option.
robert_viera

Here is a quote from the study that is interesting:

“Of the 10.6 million workers who commuted by car, about 9 million
reported that they had never used public transit for their commute.
About 7.4 million of these people thought public transit would be
somewhat or very inconvenient.
About 1.6 million car commuters, or 15% of the total, said they had
tried using public transit to get to work. A slight majority of them
(53%) considered it inconvenient.”

85% percent of those who commuted by car had NEVER tried public transit and only 8% have tried it and thought it was inconvenient.
robert_viera

Here is a quote from the study that is interesting:

“Of the 10.6 million workers who commuted by car, about 9 million
reported that they had never used public transit for their commute.
About 7.4 million of these people thought public transit would be
somewhat or very inconvenient.
About 1.6 million car commuters, or 15% of the total, said they had
tried using public transit to get to work. A slight majority of them
(53%) considered it inconvenient.”

85% percent of those who commuted by car had NEVER tried public transit and only 8% have tried it and thought it was inconvenient.