This indicator is part of Linked integrated transportation.

Indicator description:

This indicator shows how people 16 years of age and older travel to work - what means of transportation (known as “modes”) they use, as determined by the US Census Bureau through the American Community Survey, conducted annually and reported here for peer Southwest cities in the year 2007. The average travel time to work is also collected using the same method. The Albuquerque mean travel time is compared to other southwestern cities for 2000, 2006, and 2007.

Why is this indicator relevant?

Many cities, including Albuquerque, experience problems with traffic congestion. Congestion wastes time, fuel, and money and leads to greater air pollution, peaking during normal commuting hours. To a great degree, these problems stem from access to and the convenience created by individual use of vehicles, known as single occupancy vehicles (SOV). Low-density development patterns exacerbate these problems, requiring people to drive longer distances to jobs, shopping, and services. A common response to these conditions is to encourage people to switch from single occupancy vehicles. Modes of transportation which are interconnected make these modes more convenient to use. This indicator measures the extent to which that change is being made or not by measuring the rate of use of the various modes over time. It compares Albuquerque commute times to similar southwestern cities.

Data Source:
American Community Survey, US Census Bureau, 2002-2007.

What can we tell from the data?

• Albuquerque has experienced greater than a 11% increase in total trips since 2000. The overwhelming majority of this increase has been in the form of single occupancy vehicles. Still, average travel time to work has remained relatively stable.
• Albuquerque residents continue to rely on the single occupancy vehicle as the overwhelming means of travel to work (over 80%), less than three peer cities, but substantially more than Salt Lake City, Austin, and Tucson.
• Most peer cities have seen decreases in mean travel time to work, as has the average for the United States. Albuquerque’s time has remained stable. It is still lower than three of six other cities and significantly below the average for the entire United States.

For Help in understanding this page, see Understanding Indicators.