In 2023, nearly 23% of City of Boulder residents worked from home every day, according to the preliminary results from the city’s latest Modal Shift Report, which tracks travel trends among city residents.
The share of respondents who said they work from home every work day nearly doubled since the last survey was conducted in 2018. The trend underscores the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which upended workplaces and commuting patterns across the country. This shift could have ripple effects for the city’s restaurant industry and sales tax revenue, with fewer workers dining out during workday hours.
City officials this month presented the preliminary findings from the 2023 Modal Shift Report to the Transportation Advisory Board, which advises the Boulder City Council on transportation issues. City officials said they are still analyzing the survey data. The analysis could include a breakdown of remote working patterns by income and demographic characteristics. The final report is expected to be published this summer.
The Modal Shift Report, which dates back to 1990, helps gauge whether the city is on track to meet its 2030 transportation goals, which include reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips. The 2023 survey included responses from 998 residents on the number of trips they took by car, foot, bike, bus or other means during the survey period in September and October 2023.
The surge in remote working suggests fewer people are driving cars around the city. But officials expect the city will still fall short of its overall goal of reducing the percentage of single-occupancy vehicle trips to 20% by 2030. The 2023 survey found that about 35% of trips were made in vehicles with only one person.
Despite an increase in walking, biking and bus use since 1990, current trends indicate the city may also miss its targets for non-car modes of travel.
The report comes as the city has sought to overhaul many of its busiest roads to make them safer and more accessible for people riding bikes, walking or getting around by means other than an automobile. On Baseline Road, for instance, the city has narrowed traffic lanes to slow down drivers and make space for a wider bike path that protects cyclists from traffic with tall concrete curbs. The city has also offered subsidies for people to purchase electric bikes and partnered with Lime to bring e-scooters to the city. The Boulder City Council is also likely to consider eliminating off-street parking requirements for commercial and residential developments. Such parking minimums can have the effect of encouraging people to own and drive cars, transportation advocates say.
The survey was conducted around the time the city expanded the number of Lime scooters allowed in certain areas of the city. The preliminary results did not summarize how many trips were made by e-scooters.
One notable trend in recent years was a drop in the share of trips residents made by bus, though the percentage was never large. In 2023, just 4% of trips made during the survey were by bus, down from the high of 5.4% in 2009.
City officials attribute the decline in bus use in large part to diminishing use of the EcoPass, a bus pass subsidized by the city. Since Covid-19, the number of employers participating in the EcoPass program has declined. Once people have an EcoPass, not only does it increase bus ridership, but it also means they are more likely to bike and walk, Chris Hagelin, a senior transportation planner for the city, told the Transportation Advisory Board this month.
“This is certainly a trend that we are watching carefully,” Hagelin said of the reduction in the percentage of bus trips.
The survey looked at a sample of CU Boulder’s 37,000 students, who make up about a third of the city’s overall population. According to the survey, students were less likely to drive single-occupancy vehicles than non-students. Nearly 26% of their trips were by bike and nearly 33% were by foot.
“If every resident in Boulder behaved like a university student in terms of how they travel,” Hagelin told the board, “we would be meeting our [transportation] goals.”
Its not clear to me if the city surveyed only Boulder residents or if they surveyed people who worked in Boulder. If only Boulder residents were surveyed then the survey doesn’t account for the 60,000 daily in-commutes. Does the city have an idea of how many of the historical 60,000 daily in-commutes are now working at home?
Over the years I have heard varying statements about how the CU population is counted in regards to the census population of Boulder which was 108,000 at last count. What percentage of the 37,000 students are full time residents in Boulder?
I ask these questions as Mr Herrick is a more skilled researcher than me and might be able to offer some insights.
I also don’t know what Boulders actual permanent population is. 108 K including CU’s temporary pop. and also, there is only a partial year w/2 out of 3 semesters counted? ( I am from Washington state where there are 4 quarters). Also what about the percentage of non resident on-line students? As well as part-time Boulder residents that leave for the winter or now, after COVID or for other reasons actually reside out of BO and work here on-line, are not contributing to STR and leaving vacant space or renting out on AirBNB or other rent management, but DO generate STR.