San Diego Commute
& In-Car Listening

No matter the destination in San Diego County, and the rest of Southern California for that matter, most people get where they need to go by way of the automobile. While planners have always tried their best to encourage residents and tourists to take advantage of the area's diverse mass transportation systems, San Diegans and their counterparts in other sunny California cities remain devoted to their cars and the independence they afford. The truth is, there is no quicker way to get to the office, drive from the beach to the mountains, or from home to a shopping center than by way of a car.

The San Diego adult population aged 18+ is listed in the most recent Arbitron as 2,234,400 while the California DMV shows 2,197,280 auto, motorcycle and commercial vehicles registered in San Diego County in May of 2005. That's almost one vehicle per San Diego adult. At the time of the 2000 U.S. Census, 87% of all San Diego County residents indicated they rely on cars, trucks or vans to commute to work, with only 13% carpooling. The vast majority of people drive alone to work.

Cultural and family structure changes (two-income families, single person households) and increases in vehicle availability in the last forty years have contributed to significant increases in private vehicle use all across the country, according to the National Household Travel Survey (2003). Growth in non-work related travel for recreation, errands and shopping has changed the profile of peak travel periods, and that trend is expected to continue. Drive time is all the time.

According to the SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments), travel in San Diego County has:

• Outpaced other indicators like population growth and employment
• Outpaced highway construction
• Outpaced transportation funding from local state and federal sources
• Traffic delays have increased, with the average traveler experiencing 52 hours of delay over the year during peak periods, the 12th highest in the nation (Texas Transportation Institute, 2005 Urban Mobility Report).

It's no wonder that San Diegans comprise one of the best radio audiences in the country. And as the populations of cities up and down the Southern California coast continue to swell, traffic on congested freeways continues to slow down. San Diego Arbitron Radio Market Reports over the last few years reflect the increased listening occurring in cars as a result of the traffic congestion on our roadways. With the myriad recreation and lifestyle choices the area has to offer, the end result is that San Diegans spend a great deal of time each week in their cars...and you can bet, most of them have their radios on to help make their travel as pleasant as possible.