(Graph: 2009 Downtown Business Census & Survey, Portland Business Alliance)
Numbers released as part of the Portland Business Alliance’s 2009 Downtown Business Census & Survey show an unprecedented uptick in the number of people who commute to jobs downtown by bike. According to the survey (which was released back in July) 10% of downtown employees used a bike to get to work in 2009 — up significantly from 6% in 2008 and the largest year-to-year increase since 2001 (the first year the survey was taken).
MAX/Bus was the most popular form of transportation, garnering 44% of the tally, while 36% of downtown employees said they drive alone.
The survey focused on the businesses, organizations and government agencies located within the I-5/I-405 loop where some 83,387 people are employed. In addition to asking how employees get to work, the survey seeks to understand the mood of the downtown business climate.
Our friends at the City of Portland Transportation Options Division turned the commute mode data into graphs to help give us a visual look at how bicycling for downtown employees has taken off in the past nine years…
The graph below shows that the percentage of people biking is increasing at a far higher rate than any other mode. Drive-alone and transit trips are flat while walking and carpooling are down…
The graph below compares the percentage of people who drive alone (in red) compared to other, more “environmentally friendly” modes (in green)…
You can download the survey as a PDF here.