Birmingham ranks 2nd in nation as solo commuter city
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --
Drivers are adding to the traffic in Birmingham when they get behind the wheel by themselves to commute to work.
A new report by On Numbers, using U.S. Census Data, says the city nearly tops a national list for solo drivers.
"I think it's a problem. I wish that we had better public transportation. I personally drive in from a suburb and I work irregular hours and its hard from me to carpool," driver, Mike White said.
Fewer drivers use public transportation in the state.
But the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham has a plan to easy congestion on the highways.
"We are proposing a high occupancy vehicle lane, carpool lane on I-65 that would go all the way down into Shelby County," Regional Planning Commission's, Mike Kaczorowski said.
Another idea to taper traffic is a program in the city called, CommuteSmart, which promotes getting to work different ways, other than going at it alone.
"Our clean commute options are carpooling, riding the bus, walking, biking, or working from home", CommuteSmart's Michelle Mattox said.
As an incentive if participant forgoes driving solo for a couple of days a week, CommuteSmart will give a $1 each day a person chooses an alternate commute for the first 90 days.
Drivers, like White, who lives in Trussville would like to see a commuter bus or park and ride in the city.
"I certainly would be interested in it," White said.
Officials say fewer drivers on the roadways will ease traffic and improve the environment.
Via NBC 13 click here for story.
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