Commuter Quiz Source Guide

The Commuter Quiz is intended to be informative. If you want to do your own research, some of the links in this guide might help you.

#1 Super Commuters

This is simply a comparison of US Census figures for 1990 and 2000. Thanks to Tom Duffy at the NH Office of Energy and Planning and Bruce Hyman at Wilbur Smith Associates. This page, from the Census Transportation Planning Package, has a great summary of many details related to commuting in New Hampshire.

#2 Driving Alone

Again, from the US Census.

# 3 Time to Think

Maritz Marketing Research does some very fun lifestyle polling. Here's an excerpt on their report on satisfaction with commuting: Average Americans look forward to driving with pleasure, because they see it as a time for quiet relaxation. Forty-five percent of drivers agree with the statement, "Driving is my time to think and enjoy being alone.'' Young drivers enjoy the solitude of driving most: 61 percent of those aged 18 to 24 agree with the statement, compared with 48 percent of those aged 25 to 34, 46 percent of drivers aged 35 to 54, and 36 percent of those aged 55 and older."

For the full report go to http://www.maritzresearch.com/release.asp?rc=119&p=3&T=P

#4 Who Steers With Their Legs

This is another gem from Maritz Marketing. The full report is here. http://www.maritzresearch.com/release.asp?rc=234&p=3&T=P

#5 The Massachusetts Factor

The source for this is the good old US Census. Thanks to Tom Duffy for checking my numbers on this.

#6 How Does Commuting Affect the Decision of Where to Live

This info came from a recent survey of 2,000 households by the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors. The gist was this: 62% of home buyers surveyed said their top concern was price, 31% said finding a home in the right neighborhood, and 7% said living closer to work to reduce their commutes.

#7 Gasoline for Commuting and Imported Oil

The $100 million figure was calculated two ways. The Energy Information Administration has data on the number of gallons of gasoline used in the state every day. For New Hampshire, that was about 1.9million gallons per day in 2004. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has the National Household Travel Survey data, which says, on average, about 19% of our driving is used on commuting. The Energy Information Administration says that about 59% of our oil is imported and that each barrel of oil produces 42 gallons of gas.

If you know the gallons used for commuting, you can convert that into barrels of imported oil. At that point, all you need to do is apply a price per barrel of oil. We chose $61 dollars. Obviously, since oil is now at over $70/barrel, our answer is very conservative.

The other calculation method produced about the same answer. A very useful study by the New Hampshire Public Interest Group came up with the total pounds of carbon dioxide produced by New Hampshire commuters. The ratio of pounds of C02 to each gallon of gas is virtually constant, about 19.8 pounds per gallon. In short, this is another way to estimate the number of gallons of gas used for commuting. You finish up the same way as in the first method. The results came within 5% of each other.

#8 Country of Origin for Oil

You can thank the Energy Information Administration for this data. See it all here http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_a...

#9 Commuting and Carbon Dioxide

The New Hampshire Public Interest Group did something interesting with census commuting data. They converted the home and work location information into miles of driving. We asked Barry Rock, a climate change researcher at the University of New Hampshire to review the study and he said "I feel the assumptions made by the authors are reasonable and based on sound data. I also agree with their findings and see this document as providing an important message to the public - the cars we drive and where we live relative to where we work are important decisions that should be considered."

The NHPIRG analysis yields an average commute distance of 10 miles each way. The Texas Transportation Institute -- 2004 Urban Mobility Study estimates an average fuel economy of 17.8 miles per gallon.

#10 Occupations and Commuting Times

A particular word of thanks to David Walker with the Rockingham Planning Commission for providing the data tables on this.