Travelling to work in the US

Travelling to work in the US

Although America is primarily a car culture, in certain cities using public transport is generally the only way you're going to get to work in the same season you set off. As such, New York and Washington have ever-growing and popular public-transport systems with a large percentage of commuters opting to cycle or walk, but what about cities where having a car is a necessity?

Take Los Angeles for example. The sprawling city is spread out over almost 500 square miles, making freeways the most commonly used form of transport. Car-ownership is the norm and to dream of cycling to work is not just an enormously difficult feat, it's incredibly dangerous.

Los Angeles has too few bike lanes to make cycling to work a viable option, but a group in the city, The LA Bike Working Group are proposing a re-think in how commuters get to work. Their proposal, an interconnected bicycle freeway called the Backbone Bikeway Network, would create a series of bike paths and signals along major thoroughfares making cycling around the city much safer and easier.

Of course, the plan has drawn criticism from many saying the plan lacks substance or the necessary vision to bring about change, but it is interesting how public opinions are creating new 'metro systems' to provide alternative options to drive. With rising fuel costs as well as the shadow of the recession still looming large, many Americans are becoming more reluctant to use their vehicles unless completely necessary.

Figures from the US Census Bureau support the idea that states with less sprawling cities and better public transport see their population use a greater percentage of alternative transports to cars. The states of New York and the District of Columbia have, as expected, far greater numbers of people taking public transport and alternative forms of travel than states such as Alabama and Missouri.

On the other hand, the likes of Massachusetts with cities like Boston also have a large walking and 'alternate' transport percentage.

How does your state compare?

Relevant articles:

Is the future cable-propelled? | Forget planes, take trains | Has the US hit a 'car saturation' point?

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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