Travel times up, fewer car poolers across many metro areas

WASHINGTON -- Malcolm Getz wakes up a little earlier these days so he can get to work on time.

Getz, like the vast majority of Americans, drives alone to the office. More drivers are on the road, people are living farther from their jobs and car pooling is a less popular option in many metropolitan areas -- all combining to make daily commutes longer, according to census 2000 data for 41 states.

That gives Getz and other solo drivers two options: deal with the added time in the car or adjust the work schedule to avoid heavy traffic.

"Traffic has gotten more congested. I try to leave a little bit earlier," said Getz, an economics professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. It still takes him 20 minutes to get to work, but he now leaves at 7 a.m.; in 1998 he left a half-hour later.

Traffic lanes dedicated to car poolers on highways during rush hours are a "failed experiment," Getz says, because they carry fewer cars and add more traffic to other lanes.

"It's frustrating, especially when you could be using that time to work," said lawyer Albert Acuna, who drives 50 minutes to get to his office in downtown Miami.

Commuting to work

Miami-Dade County, with its urban sprawl and packed roadways, is among the top counties in Florida with an average commute to work -- 30.1 minutes each way.

National figures will not be available until after all 50 states get their data next week.

But among findings in data released Wednesday for eight states and the District of Columbia are:

In congested Maryland suburbs of Washington, the average one-way commute grew from 30 minutes in 1990 to nearly 35 minutes in 2000. The percentage of workers age 16 and older who used car pools decreased from 16 percent to 14 percent, while the "drove alone" category increased from 67 percent to 70 percent.

Commuting times also account for people who walk or take public transportation.

In Chester County, Pa., where new development is attracting residents with jobs in Philadelphia, commutes rose from nearly 24 minutes to more than 27 minutes. Earlier data showed the percentage of workers driving solo increased 3 percentage points to about 79 percent in Philadelphia's New Jersey suburbs.

In Nashville, a one-way trip into work increased three minutes to 23 minutes. Nearly 8 of 10 workers there drive alone.

Ray Mundy, a transportation studies professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, says car pooling is still the most efficient form of alleviating traffic.

"But typically, you have to get very crowded and run out of money" for other transportation projects before planners turn to car pooling, he said.

The latest figures come from the 2000 census "long form," a survey, distributed to 20 million households, that asked more detailed questions on topics such as income and education.

Census figures released last year came from questions asked of all U.S. residents.

Car pooling rates increased a little or were relatively stable in several fast-growing areas such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Dallas. While there remain high numbers of solo drivers, residents of those places rely less on mass transit as an alternative.

Meanwhile, cheaper gas prices at the end of the decade gave some people less incentive to share rides, analysts said.

Other factors -- suburban office parks, more employers allowing flexible working hours -- also have increased the numbers of lone drivers, said Charles Dougherty of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

For instance, in the Philadelphia area, many jobs have relocated from downtown to the suburbs, where rents are cheaper.

Graphic designer Lee Jernstadt lives in Chicago and works 45 minutes away in the suburb of Evanston, Ill. She prefers taking a train to driving.

"Traffic is horrible and it's always been horrible," she said. "I can read a book on the train. When you're driving, it's just a waste of time."

States receiving data Wednesday were Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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On the Net: Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov

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Associated Press writer Adrian Sainz in Miami contributed to this report.