According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau, all of 4.7% of American commuters used public transportation to get to work in 2005. Furthermore, almost half of the nation’s 6.2 million public transportation users live in 10 U.S. cities, such as Philly, LA, Houston and, yes, New York.
Also among the findings, 87.7% drive to work, and 77% of them drive alone. So those $3.50 gallons of gas obviously aren’t a big issue for many.
And Trainjotting readers–all six of you–know well the travails we’ve suffered in trying to get the town of Mount Pleasant to install a bike rack at the Hawthorne station so that more than five people can bike to the train (the 18-bike model, for $320 at Park-A-Bike, should suffice). A mere .4% of the population biked to work in 2005, with Portland, Ore. leading the pack with 3.5% (2.9% of them while stoned).
Finally, 2.5% of us walk to work. Boston led the nation at 13%–mostly guys named Sully who lost their license when driving home from Bill’s Bar on Lansdowne after 11 Sam Adams.