Politics & Government
Column: No Wonder There's So Much Traffic
New Census data shows most people still drive alone to work.
If you spent 85 minutes on a bus every workday, what would you do with the time: Read, sleep, work?
Whatever you did—or do, if this describes you—has got to be better than spending that much time in a car, whether it be crawling in traffic or cruising over the speed limit, watching the other cars and the miles and your precious free time pass by.
Using public transportation, be it a bus or a train, is certainly better for the environment because it makes the air a little cleaner. But it’s also good for the mind (reading, listening to podcasts), body (sleeping) and soul (daydreaming, texting a friend, planning your spouse’s birthday celebration). Or, if you really have to, you can always do more work via your laptop, iPad or Blackberry.
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Despite all it’s got going for it, there are still relatively few workers from the Morris County region using mass transit.
More people in Morris County work from home or telecommute (about 11,500) than take a bus or train (10,800, or 4.4 percent of all workers) according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau released last week. Nearly 19,000 carpool. Still, Morris workers cram nearly 200,000 cars on clogged roads like Routes 80, 287 and 10 every day, twice a day, to and from work.
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Passaic and Somerset counties have greater rates of carpool and public transit use than Morris. Fewer than three-quarters of Passaic’s commuters drive alone to work, and almost 9 percent take mass transit. Sussex County has the lowest rate of public transportation usage—just 1.7 percent, or about 1,300 people—but it also has the fewest options. The percentage of people carpooling in Sussex is almost as high as in Morris, 7.5 percent vs. 7.7 percent.
Note: For a further breakdown of communiting in Morris-area communities, including nearby Sussex and Somerset towns served by Patch sites, see the bottom of this column.
That’s the big picture of commuting patterns in the period from 2005 through 2010, but there are also some interesting details:
- Men are far more likely than women to take public transportation.
- The rate of whites driving alone is higher than for than any other race. Asians are most amendable to using both carpools and mass transit—they comprise 9 percent of all workers, but 16 percent of those in carpools and 17 percent of bus and train commuters. A third of all those who ride-share are Hispanic.
- Immigrants are more likely to commute using more environmentally friendly means than are native-born Americans. In fact, the foreign born actually comprise the majority – 50.2 percent – of those who carpool in Morris County.
- Those who carpool in Morris have the lowest median income, less than $32,000, of all types of commuters, while those who took mass transit had the highest at nearly $86,000. However, in Passaic County, those using public transportation had the lowest median income, $25,135, while those who drove themselves to work had the highest, $38,921.
Not surprisingly, about three quarters of Morris and Sussex workers, and two thirds of those from Somerset County, who take the train or bus commute out of state. That means New York City for nearly everyone. But a plurality—more than 4 out of 10—of Passaic commuters use mass transit to get to a job within the county, many taking buses.
Suburban New Jersey struggles with low mass transit ridership percentages because there are not as many options and they don’t always take you where you want to go. The car is easier because it’s right in the driveway, ready for door-to-door delivery at all times.
Those who live in cities are used to travelling by bus, and often prefer it, because the bus stops are not far from home, the buses run relatively frequently and there’s no need to look for a parking space. Consider that only 1 in 100 Sussex County workers does not own a car, while 1 in 10 living in Passaic doesn’t. Interestingly, in Morris County, 18 percent of Dover workers don’t have a car; 11 percent of those in Morristown don’t, either.
There’s also a tradeoff, though, for public transportation. It can cost more and take longer. Pity the 165 people from Washington Township in Morris who spend 114 minutes commuting—each way—every work day.
Still, your time isn’t wasted, nor is your gas.
For those interested in trying mass transit or a carpool, there are numerous websites that can help, including NJ Transit, TransOptions, the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Ridesharing Matchlist, eRideShare.com and carpoolworld.
Colleen O'Dea is a writer, editor, researcher, data analyst, web page designer and mapper with almost three decades in the news business. Her column appears Mondays.
Commuting Patterns for Workers in Morris, Sussex & Somerset towns served by Patch:
MUNICIPALITY TYPE OF COMMUTE WORKERS (AGE 16+) % WHO COMMUTE BY ... MEAN TRAVEL TIME (MINUTES) Boonton Total 4,03724.0 Drove alone 3,213 79.6% 24.3 Carpooled 357 8.8% 20.1 Public transportation 77 1.9% 58.5 Boonton Twp. Total 1,988
NA Drove alone 1,715 86.3% NA Carpooled 101 5.1% NA Public transportation 77 3.9% NA Butler Total 4,060
27.9 Drove alone 3,565 87.8% 27.1 Carpooled 298 7.3% 25.6 Public transportation 78 1.9% 96.0 Chatham Borough Total 4,090
37.2 Drove alone 2,763 67.6% 26.0 Carpooled 198 4.8% 32.7 Public transportation 873 21.3% 73.9 Chatham Twp. Total 4,619
38.6 Drove alone 3,190 69.1% 27.1 Carpooled 177 3.8% 38.2 Public transportation 786 17.0% 76.1 Chester Borough Total 692
29.7 Drove alone 460 66.5% 30.6 Carpooled 69 10.0% 33.6 Public transportation 26 3.8% 70.2 Chester Twp. Total 3,263
38.1 Drove alone 2,579 79.0% 36.2 Carpooled 154 4.7% 34.3 Public transportation 145 4.4% 97.2 Denville Total 7,818
31.9 Drove alone 6,332 81.0% 28.8 Carpooled 371 4.7% 28.2 Public transportation 506 6.5% 74.7 Dover Total 10,344
20.4 Drove alone 6,385 61.7% 19.4 Carpooled 2,491 24.1% 22.5 Public transportation 450 4.4% 35.2 East Hanover Total 5,665
25.8 Drove alone 4,909 86.7% 23.7 Carpooled 214 3.8% 17.5 Public transportation 201 3.5% 88.6 Florham Park Total 5,562
24.7 Drove alone 4,527 81.4% 23.7 Carpooled 152 2.7% 28.9 Public transportation 185 3.3% 68.9 Hanover Total 6,964
22.0 Drove alone 5,943 85.3% 21.3 Carpooled 505 7.3% 19.2 Public transportation 86 1.2% 64.9 Harding Total 1,827
NA Drove alone 1,279 70.0% NA Carpooled 130 7.1% NA Public transportation 94 5.1% NA Jefferson Total 10,574
39.9 Drove alone 8,980 84.9% 38.8 Carpooled 614 5.8% 39.3 Public transportation 316 3.0% 79.7 Kinnelon Total 4,827
32.7 Drove alone 3,955 81.9% 30.0 Carpooled 266 5.5% 33.2 Public transportation 268 5.6% 84.0 Lincoln Park Total 5,548
24.9 Drove alone 4,651 83.8% 24.4 Carpooled 544 9.8% 22.2 Public transportation 146 2.6% 66.5 Long Hill Total 4,125
30.5 Drove alone 3,202 77.6% 26.5 Carpooled 297 7.2% 23.2 Public transportation 400 9.7% 72.7 Madison Total 7,648
31.6 Drove alone 4,963 64.9% 22.9 Carpooled 461 6.0% 28.3 Public transportation 1,096 14.3% 75.9 Mendham Borough Total 1,593
28.2 Drove alone 1,249 78.4% 29.3 Carpooled 61 3.8% 32.0 Public transportation 35 2.2% 97.9 Mendham Twp. Total 2,528
31.6 Drove alone 2,073 82.0% 30.8 Carpooled 32 1.3% 37.5 Public transportation 44 1.7% 100.2 Mine Hill Total 2,073
26.2 Drove alone 1,913 92.3% 26.3 Carpooled 100 4.8% 28.0 Public transportation - 0.0% - Montville Total 10,252
30.9 Drove alone 7,956 77.6% 26.6 Carpooled 545 5.3% 33.9 Public transportation 631 6.2% 85.5 Morris Twp. Total 10,720
25.7 Drove alone 8,660 80.8% 22.1 Carpooled 556 5.2% 19.1 Public transportation 576 5.4% 84.1 Morris Plains Total 2,036
NA Drove alone 1,716 84.3% NA Carpooled 127 6.2% NA Public transportation 71 3.5% NA Morristown Total 10,713
22.0 Drove alone 6,739 62.9% 20.7 Carpooled 1,586 14.8% 18.0 Public transportation 474 4.4% 56.7 Mountain Lakes Total 1,554
33.6 Drove alone 1,199 77.2% 30.5 Carpooled 58 3.7% 42.1 Public transportation 148 9.5% 61.0 Mount Arlington Total 2,704
NA Drove alone 2,320 85.8% NA Carpooled 177 6.5% NA Public transportation 41 1.5% NA Mount Olive Total 14,872
37.5 Drove alone 12,581 84.6% 35.1 Carpooled 1,164 7.8% 49.6 Public transportation 307 2.1% 102.9 Netcong Total 1,568
29.4 Drove alone 1,308 83.4% 30.0 Carpooled 171 10.9% 30.0 Public transportation - 0.0% - Parsippany Total 28,446
26.8 Drove alone 23,337 82.0% 25.6 Carpooled 2,376 8.4% 23.2 Public transportation 988 3.5% 73.9 Pequannock Total 7,078
26.5 Drove alone 6,261 88.5% 24.3 Carpooled 200 2.8% 24.4 Public transportation 295 4.2% 74.7 Randolph Total 12,870
31.7 Drove alone 10,675 82.9% 29.5 Carpooled 842 6.5% 28.8 Public transportation 357 2.8% 94.3 Riverdale Total 2,020
23.5 Drove alone 1,714 84.9% 22.8 Carpooled 111 5.5% 20.4 Public transportation 51 2.5% 83.0 Rockaway Total 3,453
NA Drove alone 2,890 83.7% NA Carpooled 256 7.4% NA Public transportation 133 3.9% NA Rockaway Twp. Total 12,261
31.4 Drove alone 10,546 86.0% 29.5 Carpooled 796 6.5% 25.3 Public transportation 444 3.6% 83.4 Roxbury Total 11,771
32.2 Drove alone 9,776 83.1% 31.0 Carpooled 1,175 10.0% 32.6 Public transportation 224 1.9% 81.1 Victory Gardens Total 864
21.6 Drove alone 589 68.2% 21.4 Carpooled 181 20.9% 20.2 Public transportation 15 1.7% 40.0 Washington Twp. Total 8,937
38.9 Drove alone 7,481 83.7% 37.4 Carpooled 371 4.2% 41.8 Public transportation 165 1.8% 113.5 Wharton Total 3,212
NA Drove alone 2,284 71.1% NA Carpooled 627 19.5% NA Public transportation 15 0.5% NA Bloomingdale Total 3,834
27.1 Drove alone 3,151 82.2% 25.0 Carpooled 300 7.8% 24.4 Public transportation 144 3.8% 98.1 Pompton Lakes Total 5,747
27.7 Drove alone 4,910 85.4% 25.5 Carpooled 473 8.2% 38.2 Public transportation 237 4.1% 52.7 Wayne Total 24,074
27.4 Drove alone 19,752 82.0% 25.4 Carpooled 1,792 7.4% 24.5 Public transportation 1,042 4.3% 73.4 Bernards Total 11,739
32.6 Drove alone 9,257 78.9% 28.6 Carpooled 581 4.9% 29.0 Public transportation 720 6.1% 90.5 Bridgewater Total 21,545
30.9 Drove alone 17,771 82.5% 28.5 Carpooled 1,548 7.2% 31.6 Public transportation 908 4.2% 81.2 Hillsborough Total 19,797
33.0 Drove alone 16,191 81.8% 30.5 Carpooled 1,660 8.4% 27.2 Public transportation 912 4.6% 86.1 Warren Total 6644 32.6 Drove alone 5,378 80.9% 30.0 Carpooled 506 7.6% 25.8 Public transportation 271 4.1% 71.0 Hopatcong Total 8,558
36.7 Drove alone 7,473 87.3% 35.7 Carpooled 615 7.2% 44.3 Public transportation 168 2.0% 57.1
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. NA=Not available
