Thursday, May 8, 2014

Rochester is a community of walkers, new report says

Posted By on Thu, May 8, 2014 at 2:55 PM

In Rochester, 6.2 percent of commuters walk to work, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. Rochester, it turns out, ranks 15th out of American cities with populations over 200,000 in the rate of commuters walking to work.

The Census Bureau's report analyzes commuter data collected through the American Community Survey from 2008 through 2012. And it pays particular attention to the number of people biking and walking to work. Generally, the rate of people walking to work has dropped since the 1980 census, but over the same period, the rate of people biking to work has increased.

At the national level, 2.8 percent of commuters walked to work between 2008 and 2012, while 0.6 percent biked. Those rates lag far behind the 86.2 percent of commuters who drove or even the 5 percent who used public transportation.

The report doesn't list Rochester's bicycle commuting rate, and the census website lumps that information in with commuters who rely on taxis, motorcycles, and other means of transportation.

The report has interesting information and caveats, and anyone interested in Rochester's walkability and bikeability will probably find it valuable.

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