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Matthew Bandyk
Where to go if you don't want to spend a lot of time behind the wheel driving
Even though the recession has made it hard to move, many Americans are still trying to flee their cul-de-sacs and long freeway commutesfor walkable neighborhoods closer to public transportation and their jobs.
Patrick Lashinsky, chief executive of real estate website Ziprealty.com, says that demand for homes in these types ofneighborhoods has soared during the recession. And although city housing may come at a premium, it is becoming more affordable because ofthe decline in housing prices. "Condos that are closer in to the city have come down in price a lot," says Lashinsky.
Moving closer in might also be a good investment. "Clients believe that gas prices will spike again, and that this will drive up the value of what they'rebuying," he says. The lifestyle might also be especially appealing in a recession. "In difficult times, people really re-evaluate what theydo with their time. You can't be productive when you're just sitting in your car," Lashinsky says. For example, biking to work is a way tobe active while commuting.
There's one problem, however: Commuting without a car usually isn't faster. According to the
That's one reason cities in which many people don't use cars also have the longest commutes. In fact, of the
But there are some exceptions -- cities where many people can drive less without sacrificing time. In the cities on our list, commutes areshorter than average, and a great many of them are on foot, bicycle, or via public transportation. The list is heavy on college towns, for afew good reasons: Such places are good fits for nondrivers because they are often compact and dense, and they often have liberal populationsthat demand more investment in public transportation.
Cambridge, Mass.
Average commute time: 24 minutes
Non-car commuters: 58 percent
Cambridge combines all of the reasons that would make you ditch a car. It is a walker's mecca -- the 2000 census foundCambridge to have the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country, at 25 percent. Walking is easy whenmany employers are located in town. Several of the largest employers in the Boston area are inCambridge, such as
Finally, Boston's MBTA rapid transit system (popularly known as the T) has sixstops on two different lines in Cambridge.
Pittsburgh
Average commute time: 23.1 minutes
Non-car commuters: 33.5 percent
Some cities, like New York, have uncommonly extensive public transportation systems but also uncommonly huge populaces. Delays areinevitable in any transportation system with so much demand. Pittsburgh is a bit of an anomaly in that it is not amassive city -- the population is just over 300,000, with a metro area of 2.4 million -- but it has a large public transit system for its size.Pittsburgh's transit system, the
Boulder, Colorado
Average commute time: 18.4 minutes
Non-car commuters: 30.6 percent
Boulder tends to attract the kind ofoutdoorsy people who love biking to work. The city claims more than 300 miles of bike lanes, routes, designated shoulders, and paths. If youdon't like traveling on two wheels, there are other options. Boulder's Regional TransportationDistrict has dozens of bus lines. While other cities designate their bus lines with utilitarian numbers, the names of thedowntown Boulder bus lines reveal a city with a more colorful approach to transit: HOP, SKIP, JUMP, BOUND, DASH,STAMPEDE, and BOLT.
Davis, California
Average commute time: 20.3 minutes
Non-car commuters: 28.7 percent
The home of the
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Average commute time: 18.4 minutes
Non-car commuters: 27.5 percent
Since it is one of the best-known college towns in America, it shouldn't be surprising that Ann Arbor is not car-heavy. Many of the city's major employers, such as the academicjournal service JSTOR, the weather service Weather Underground, and the headquarters for
New Haven, Connecticut
Average commute time: 21.6 minutes
Non-car commuters: 27.3 percent
New Haven's commuting patterns areshaped by its unusual downtown. In many cities, downtowns fill up with professionals and other workers during the day, then turn into ghosttowns at night. But according to the City of New Haven, 7,000 people live in the downtown area, making it "among themost populous downtowns in the nation" -- with a population density greater than that of downtown Seattle, Chicago, or Baltimore. Jobs are in downtown New Haven as well, with some of the city's big employers like
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Average commute time: 20.1 minutes
Non-car commuters: 26.2 percent
North Carolina is not usuallythought of as a mass transit state, and with good reason -- only 16 percent of workers commute without a car. But ChapelHill is not typical. Triangle Transit provides bus and vanpool service throughout the entire Research Triangle area, whichincludes Raleigh and Durham. According to the census, more than 10 percent of Chapel Hill commuters walk towork.
Average commute time: 21.9 minutes
Non-car commuters: 24.2 percent
Long winters don't deter Minneapolis commuters from leaving their cars at home. Measured by passenger miles, the city has the 14th-largest lightrail system and the 13th-largest bus system in the country, according to the
Average commute time: 24.1 minutes
Non-car commuters: 22.7 percent
Portland has become famous as a mecca for thehip and artistic. But even if the average resident doesn't fit that stereotype, they all benefit from shorter commutes, owing to fewerpeople on the road. "Cities like Portland have a higher percentage of people working at home," says Pisarski. "They'reat home working on the next great American novel." The city also has a well-developed mass transit system for a city of its size:Portland's light rail system is the third-largest in the country by passenger miles, ahead of systems in bigger citiessuch as San Diego, St. Louis, and Dallas.
Ames, Iowa
Average commute time: 15.3 minutes
Non-car commuters: 22.6 percent
Ames, home to
Madison, Wis.
Average commute time: 18.7 minutes
Non-car commuters: 21.9 percent
Despite its rough winters, Wisconsin is big onbicycles.
Honolulu
Average commute time: 23 minutes
Non-car commuters: 21.7 percent
With a land area of just 85 square miles and a population of less than400,000, Honolulu is compact enough that commuting isn't tough. TheBus transit system, with ridership of more 70million annually, makes it even easier. TheBus has twice been named "America's Best Transit System" by the
Provo, Utah
Average commute time: 16.2 minutes
Non-car commuters: 21.4 percent
The center of the second-largest metro area in Utah isnot well known for public transportation. Only recently has the city government been discussing plans for a bus rapid transit system thatwould become operational in 2012. But many Provo commuters don't need public transit to get to work without driving:More than 13 percent of the city's workers walk, putting Provo in the top 10 of all U.S. cities for pedestriancommuters.
Eugene, Ore.
Average commute time: 16.9 minutes
Non-car commuters: 20.7 percent
Eugene makes the list because it has many of the sametraits of other cities with short commutes and relatively low car use. Home to the
Syracuse, N.Y.
Average commute time: 16.3 minutes
Non-car commuters: 20.1 percent
Syracuse does not have a transit system beyond buses, and it's not particularly compact. But it makes the list for a number of other reasons. The 2000 census found Syracuse to be the 12th in the country in terms of having the most pedestrian commuters -- just one spot behind New York City. More than 10 percent of Syracuse's commuters walk to work. Also, while it'sone of the largest cities in one of the largest states, Syracuse's metro area population is less than 1 million, sotraffic isn't a huge issue. Finally, the city's Centro bus system connects workers to employment areas within the city and surroundingcounties. Centro boasts ridership of 42,000 daily.