It seems everywhere we go, Boulder County residents and workers are talking about the roads. Most of us have returned to school or work after a brief holiday break: That plus changing winter driving conditions, very low gas prices and construction projects in Boulder and Boulder County give us a lot to talk about.
What do the numbers say? We know that extremely slow residential growth in the City of Boulder — where many of us work — coupled with rapid growth elsewhere in the county in recent years puts a lot of people in their cars. Specifically, the single-occupancy vehicle, which puts pressure on both the environment and our collective commuting patience.
Below is a graph we created in 2011. The data from the American Community Survey’s 5-year estimates in 2013 is mostly unchanged. About 65 percent of us continue to drive to work solo. The nation’s rate is 76 percent, and Colorado’s is 75. We also have a shorter commute: The mean travel time to work is just under 23 minutes, compared with about 26 minutes in the United States and 25 minutes in Colorado.
A quick word about gas prices: Today, gasoline prices are plummeting nationwide thanks to falling oil prices. In fact 2015 might mark the lowest gas prices since 2009. While that does give consumers a little more money to spend, there is one oft-ignored component of what drivers spend. The Colorado gas tax is 22 cents per gallon, ranking us 33rd in the country. But that rate was set in 1991. Inflation and increasingly fuel-efficient cars means for every $1 in spending power we had from that tax in 1991 is now worth just 40 cents, according to the Bell Policy Center. That gives us less money to fix roads and other transportation infrastructure.
The most intriguing commuting number is the number of people in Boulder County who reported they work from home. In 2013, the percentage of workers who said they work from home is more than 11 percent — that’s up from the 6 percent who said they worked from home in 2000. That 11 percent in 2013 compares with just 4 percent nationally and 7 percent statewide. The best commute of all might be the one from the bed to the home office, whether it’s a separate room or the kitchen table.
