Study reveals commuters usually drive solo

BOULDER — A recent survey has found that more Boulder employees are commuting to work in single occupant vehicles (SOVs), with the biggest increase being workers who drive in from other cities.
The Boulder Employee Survey found that in 1999, 74 percent of employees surveyed drove to work alone, up 6 percent from 1997. Employees who commuted from areas outside of Boulder were more likely to use an SOV (85 percent) than were Boulder residents (61 percent).
“When you look at the increase in SOV commuting among employees who live outside of Boulder, combined with the increase in trip lengths, it seems we are starting to see the effects of longer commutes to reach more affordable housing outside of Boulder and Boulder County,´ said Randall Rutsch, the city transportation planner.
“Travel from outside the Boulder Valley is one of the biggest challenges to meeting Boulder’s transportation goals,´ said Mike Sweeney, the acting transportation director.
Overall, the study found that Boulder employees use carpools 9 percent of the time, bicycles 6 percent, transit 4 percent and walking 3 percent of the time.
“Within Boulder, we have the opportunity to use alternative modes,´ said Rutsch. “We have a significantly higher number of employees walking, biking or utilizing mass transit than the national average.”