Although the number of people using public transit to commute to work in the metro area increased slightly from 2009 to 2010, progress is slow, and Mayor Mick Cornett said he doesn’t expect that will change anytime soon.

For their part, transit officials are working to improve a system that is underfunded and struggles to serve those who depend on it.

Low use reported

According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, just 0.5 percent of workers 16 and older got to work in the Oklahoma City area using public transit in 2010 compared to 93.3 percent who drove themselves or rode in a carpool.

The 2009 numbers were even lower, with 0.4 percent of workers using public transit.

Metro Transit’s ridership statistics confirm the Census Bureau’s numbers, with a slight increase in riders from 2009 to 2010.

The New York City area ranks highest, with 30.7 percent of workers using public transit. Portland, Ore., and Denver saw transit usage in the 4 to 6 percent range.

Long commute times

“It’s the same issue we’ve faced for years,” Cornett said. “We have succeeded in setting up a great grid for automobile traffic. That success is partially to blame for our lack of success in public transit.”

The Census Bureau numbers back that up. The mean commute time for workers in the Oklahoma City metro area was 21.6 minutes in 2010, with 3.3 percent of commuters needing more than an hour to get to work. In New York City, the mean commute time is 34.6 minutes, and 19.6 percent of workers spend more than an hour on their commute.

Portland and Denver also have higher commute times and about double the number of workers who spend an hour on the road to get to their jobs.

Low density is unhelpful

Another issue Cornett pointed to is density. Many large cities have a high concentration of their population near the city center. Oklahoma City is more

Article source: http://feeds.stateline.org/~r/StatelineorgRss-Transportation/~3/q75XJd5ArJk/3609757