In Rochester, 6.2 percent of commuters walk to work, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. Rochester, it turns out, ranks 15th out of American cities with populations over 200,000 in the rate of commuters walking to work.
The Census Bureau’s report analyzes commuter data collected through the American Community Survey from 2008 through 2012. And it pays particular attention to the number of people biking and walking to work. Generally, the rate of people walking to work has dropped since the 1980 census, but over the same period, the rate of people biking to work has increased.
At the national level, 2.8 percent of commuters walked to work between 2008 and 2012, while 0.6 percent biked. Those rates lag far behind the 86.2 percent of commuters who drove or even the 5 percent who used public transportation.
The report doesn’t list Rochester’s bicycle commuting rate, and the census website lumps that information in with commuters who rely on taxis, motorcycles, and other means of transportation.
The report has interesting information and caveats, and anyone interested in Rochester’s walkability and bikeability will probably find it valuable.
This article appears in May 7-13, 2014.
Walking, walking safely in a transportation infrastructure designed predominately for vehicles is doable, but much education by government and media is required.
A long time ago our species could walk and walk and not be run over by something big and dangerous. Since then we have forgotten how simply marvelous walking could be as a transportation option, not to mention a way to address Climate Change as 27% of greenhouse gases come from transportation. More will walk as safety increases and safety will increase as more walk. More respect for sidewalks and traffic signals and pedestrians would be nice too.
While walking down our sidewalk yesterday, my wife and I were almost run over by someone on our street who decided to put the pedal to the medal backing out of his driveway. Even if you win the battle for space with a one-ton vehicle against a pedestrian, it’ll ruin your whole day. Remember, when you’re not in a car, you’re a pedestrian.
More on Transportation in our area: http://rochesterenvironment.com/communting…