A recently-released travel and awareness survey conducted by Metro Regional Travel Options program reflects a growing trend in Portland area residents' willingness to seek out and use a variety of travel options to get to work or school or run errands. The survey paints a portrait of Portland region residents as varied in their travel modes, aware of their travel options and many interested in learning more.
"These findings are encouraging for Metro, the program and our partners," said Metro planning manager Ted Leybold. "We have ambitious goals for increasing walk, bike, carpool and transit trips, and that can be realistically achieved by reaching out to people who have shown they are willing to use travel options."
The telephone survey, conducted last October, asked 581 residents living the Portland region about their use and knowledge of RTO programs, measured satisfaction with using transportation options, examined travel information tools and resources, and gauged motives for switching travel modes. The survey provides a comparison of residents' awareness of RTO programs, services and travel information in the region to a baseline awareness survey conducted in 2010.
Data from this study is being used to assist Metro and RTO partners in implementing strategic and cost-effective marketing efforts that target audiences most likely to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips in the Portland region based on their past experiences and willingness to try travel options.
While daily drivers represent more than half the area's population, results show 32 percent of daily drivers also walk for transportation trips at least monthly; 16 percent use transit at least monthly, and, 6 percent bicycle for transportation at least monthly. These occasional users represent significant growth potential to reach transportation mode-shift goals, and would require fewer resources to increase use of travel options.
Additionally, the survey found:
- Most respondents who used travel options frequently were satisfied with their experiences; however, safety from the risk of crashes is a common dissatisfaction for cyclists and pedestrians, especially among women.
- Generation Y behaviors are changing the travel landscape in the region and across the country, as the highest percentage of use and the highest potential for adopting travel options were among people ages 16 to 24.
- RTO programs continue to gain in awareness; with TriMet's Trip Planner, Drive Less Save More, and Sunday Parkways/Sunday Streets garnering the highest awareness. Still, most programs have less than 50 percent awareness across the region, and represent opportunities growing awareness.
- RTO program participants were twice as likely to bicycle, walk or ride public transportation for errands or leisure activities as for commuting to work or school. This information will steer marketing efforts toward non-commute trips as viable travel options for most area residents.
The survey also addressed commuter's motivations to try travel options. Without a car, 41 percent of respondents stated they would commute by transit. The Metro program supports an incentive-based approach as part of changing regional travel behaviors. Supporting this, nearly a third of drivers who don't currently carpool said they would be likely to start carpooling in the next six months if an incentive of $50 per month was offered.
Parking supply and cost is part of a larger transportation and land use discussion. This particular study found that if a commuter had to pay $25 per month, 37 percent said they would switch to travel options like biking, transit, walking or carpooling.
“Perhaps most encouragingly, is there is interest to learn more,” said survey coordinator Caleb Winter. When respondents were asked how interested they were in learning more about a range of travel options in their neighborhood, nearly a quarter of respondents expressed interest.
By design, the RTO survey does not cover travel behavior in a comprehensive way compared to the 6,400-household, 2011 Oregon Household Activity Survey. That survey recorded a detailed travel diary from all household members to provide modeling data for regional investments. The RTO survey asked for respondents' general use of travel options over the course of a year (for example, drive weekly, bike monthly).
The survey was conducted for Metro by DHM Research, a Portland-based firm.