ANN ARBOR – Americans
spend 10 percent less time making trips for daily activities than they did a
decade ago, says a University of Michigan researcher.
In another
in a series of reports that examines recent motorization trends in the U.S.,
Michael Sivak of the U-M Transportation Research Institute says that the
average time spent traveling per day for all activities dropped from 1.23 hours
in 2004 to 1.11 hours in 2014.
In an
earlier report, Sivak found that 2004 was the peak year in terms of distance
driven per person, which has been on the decline since then. In the current
study, Sivak looks at total travel time for persons 15 and older, using all modes
of travel – not just driving a vehicle. The data came from the American Time
Use Survey, a representative nationwide survey.
Activities
for which average travel time has decreased since 2004 include dining out
(eating and drinking), shopping (purchasing goods and services), caring for and
helping non-household members, work, education, and leisure and sports.
The average
time spent traveling for household activities, caring for and helping household
members, and engaging in organizational, civic and religious activities have
stayed the same. Personal care was the only activity that registered an
increase.
The study
showed that the percentage of persons traveling in connection with the various
activities has decreased, but found no overall reduction of the duration of the
daily trips for those persons who did engage in travel.
In terms of
the average percentages of persons traveling per day by activity, Sivak said
that all activities showed a decrease, except for personal care.
Finally,
among only persons who traveled in connection with an activity, the report
found little change in the total average travel times from 2004 to 2014 (5.93
hours vs. 5.96 hours).
