It is a common misperception that low-income populations are transit-dependent or typically do without a car because it is too expensive. While much larger proportions of low-income populations use a mode of transportation other than a personal automobile to commute to work, a majority of them still use a personal automobile. In this edition of the Periodic Atlas, we looked at commuting as it relates to people of color and low-wage workers using the most recent reliable Census data as well as data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LEHD-LODES)

Howland, Steven

Morris, Randy

English

PDXScholar (Portland State University)

Portland State UniversityPDXScholarMetroscape Institute of Portland Metropolitan StudiesSummer 2017The Geography of the CommuteSteven HowlandPortland State UniversityRandy MorrisPortland State UniversityLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/metroscapePart of the Transportation Commons, and the Urban Studies CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Metroscape by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar.For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu.Recommended CitationHowland, Steven and Morris, Randy, "The Geography of the Commute" (2017). Metroscape. 122.http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/metroscape/122Page 13MetroscapeIt is a common misperception that low-income populations are transit-dependent or typically do without a car because it is too expensive. While much larger proportions of  low-income populations use a mode of  transportation other than a personal automobile to commute to work, a majority of  them still use a personal automobile. In this edition of  the Periodic Atlas, we looked at commuting as it relates to people of  color and low-wage workers using the most recent reliable Census data as well as data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LEHD-LODES).Commute Mode by Race, Ethnicity, and Income Generally, commute mode shares in the Portland metropolitan area are similar to most other regions in the United States where com-muting by automobile (driving alone or carpooling) forms the dominant share of  commuting. Across all races and ethnicities, populations in poverty commute by transit and walking to a greater extent than their peers not in poverty. White populations not in poverty have the lowest share of  commuting by transit. Meanwhile, African-American populations have the highest share using tran-sit (19%) with African-American populations in poverty using tran-sit to get to work at a rate (33%) twice that of  any other population group. The differences in com-mute mode by race/ethnicity and poverty status are important for understanding commute patterns considering the level of  racial/ethnic and class segregation in the Portland region.Periodic Atlas of the MetroscapeThe Geography of the CommuteTransit use is fraught with perils . . . one delay of a connection can cause a worker to be . . . fired. by Steve Howland, maps by Randy Morris0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%White Pov White NoPovBlack Pov Black NoPovAsian Pov Asian NoPovOther Pov Other NoPovHispanic Pov Hispanic NoPovTransit Bike Walk Other AutoSource: IPUMS-USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org: American Community Survey 2015 5-year estimate: Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, workers 16 and older, and employed outside of the home. "Pov" = Personally-owned vehicle. Notes: Dashed line = moderate reliability. Solid line= low reliability. Poverty defined by 150% of poverty level.Figure 1 Commute mode by race, Hispanic origin and poverty level, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSAPage 14MetroscapeEmployment and CommutingCommuting is also impacted by where employers locate. Employers make location decisions for many reasons. Some employers prioritize their location for their employees while others put the priority on trans-portation access for freight or customers. Inevitably though, employees will commute to a job from all over the region regardless of  the transportation ame-nities available.To examine this effect, we used LODES data to identify the Census tracts with the highest density of  employment with high proportions of  low-wage workers employed there. To have comparison cases, we selected employment tracts based on their domi-nance for a particular kind of  work. The following analysis focuses on the Census tracts that contain the airport, the Central Eastside Industrial District (CEID), the Fred Meyer Distribution Center (FMDC) in Milwaukie, Washington Square Mall (WSM), and Vancouver Mall (VM). For each location, we analyzed the proportion of  low-wage (earning less than $1250/month) workers located within three, six and ten miles (straight-line distance) of  the Census tract as well as the various transportation options leading to and from these locations.Vancouver MallPDX AirportFred Meyer DistributionCentral EastsideIndustrial DistrictWashington Square MallHillsboroForest GroveTigardCorneliusCamasOregon CityBattleGroundGreshamVancouverBeavertonVancouver Malltr l t iI tri l i tri tPDX AirportFred Meyer Distributionashington Square MallMiles fromCommuteDestinationFrequent servicebus linesSelected commutedestinations(straight-line dist.))Figure 2  Selected Commute Destinations Around the Metro AreaTract% of total jobs considered  low-wage% of low-wage workers(% of all Workers)3 miles 6 miles 10 milesAirport 13%22.4 45.9 61.2(21.6) (46.4) (63.5)CEID 14%38.5 58.1 76.1(31) (51.8) (73.2)Fred Meyer Distribution 15%16.5 30.2 52(18.2) (33.3) (55.4)Washington Square Mall 29%18.5 30.6 53(19.1) (34.4) (58.6)Vancouver Mall 28%32.1 48.9 59.6(30.3) (48.9) (59.9)Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 2016. LODES Data. Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamics Program. http://lehd.ces.census.gov/data/lodes/Table 1  Proportion of Low-wage Workers by DistancePage 15MetroscapeClackamasHillsboroForest GroveTigardCorneliusCamasOregon CityBattleGroundGreshamVancouverBeavertonVancouver MallWashington Square MallWashington Square Mall (WSM     )and Vancouver Mall (VM      )WSM’s tract contains nearly 12,000 employees while VM’s tract contains around 6,700. The tract's retail focus was reflected in nearly 30% of  employees being classified as low-wage. Nearly half  of  low-wage WSM workers live farther than ten miles away compared to 40% of  VM workers. However, a much larger proportion of  low-wage workers live close to VM. This is likely an effect of  the Columbia River presenting a barrier to workers in Oregon seeking employment in Washington. Both malls act as transit hubs presenting employees with relatively easy access to jobs from nearly any direc-tion. However, for WSM, transit options diminish precipitously south and west of  the mall while the same is true north and east of  VM.Miles fromCommuteDestinationFrequent servicebus lines(straight-line dist.)Commuters / km2 11.50Commuters / km2 11.80Figure 3Figure 4Washington Square Transit Center. Source: WikimediaFigure 5Page 16MetroscapeClackamasHillsboroForest GroveTigardCorneliusCamasOregon CityBattleGroundGreshamVancouverBeavertonCentral EastsideIndustrial DistrictPDX AirportFred Meyer DistributionMiles fromCommuteDestinationFrequent servicebus lines(straight-line dist.)Airport (PDX      )Thirteen percent of  the nearly 30,000 jobs in the airport tract were classified as low-wage. Table 1 shows that, generally, low-wage workers live about the same distance from work as all other workers with only a slightly higher proportion living beyond ten miles.Transportation to and from this tract is extreme-ly limited. Only the MAX Red Line goes to the airport and the closest bus lines are along NE Killingsworth Street west of  NE Eighty-Second Avenue and on Columbia Boulevard west of  NE Forty-Seventh Avenue. This leaves many of  the businesses in the tract completely inaccessible by transit, and walking from transit to any of  the employers requires traversing streets laden with freight traffic and often lacking sidewalks.Commuters / km2 13.10Figure 5 (cont'd)Figure 6Page 17MetroscapeCentral EastsideIndustrial District (CEID      )The CEID contains nearly 17,000 jobs. This tract is a highly exceptional case in that over three-quarters of  low-wage workers employed in this tract live within ten miles of  work. This is likely due to its centralized location in the region even when considering housing costs in nearby neighborhoods would make it very dif-ficult for such workers to live nearby. A third of  the workers employed in the CEID live within three miles, the most expensive housing loca-tions in the city. Transportation to the CEID is convenient for most travel modes. Most cross-town bus lines in the city go through the tract or at least stop in downtown leaving riders a relatively easy walk from work. Parking, however, is in very short supply here. Fred MeyerDistribution Center (FMDC      )The FMDC is another industry-heavy tract with around 10,000 jobs. This tract had the highest proportion of  low-wage workers living more than ten miles away. Like the airport tract, tran-sit options to this location are sparse with one bus line going through. However, this bus line has half-hour waits between buses during peak morning hours heading toward downtown and then changes to one-hour waits. Headed away from downtown, the shorter waits occur in the evening. Workers south and west of  the tract have virtually no transit connections to work. Walking is also dif-ficult as the tract is surrounded by highways and the Clackamas River.Commuters / km2 27.60Commuters / km2 6.60Figure 8Figure 7Steven Howland is a Ph.D. candidate in the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University with a research focus on poverty, low-income labor, and transportation equity.Page 18MetroscapeEsri, HERE, DeLorme, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and theGIS user communitySTARTnear 136th& Division15min24min9minENDnear NE 82nd& AlderwoodRdENDnear 106th& Hwy 212 11min19min10minGateway/NE99th AveTransit CenterClackamasTown CenterTransit CenterGreshamCentralTransit CenterParkrose/SumnerTransit CenterHollywood/NE42nd AveTransit CenterNE AIRPORT WAYNE 181ST AVESE POWELL BLVDSE SUNNYSIDE RDNE KILLINGSWORTH STNE SANDY BLVDSE 82ND AVENE 82ND AVENE WEIDLER STSE MCLOUGHLIN BLVDSE 122ND AVESE DIVISION STW POWELL BLVDSE STARK STE BURNSIDE STSE CESAR E CHAVEZ BLVDSE 182ND AVENW BURNSIDE RDSE FOSTER RDSE HOGAN RDSE 82ND AVENE AIRPORT WAYHighlighting Two ScenariosWe also looked at possible transit commutes that workers living in the area of  SE 136th Avenue and SE Division Street may face when trying to get to their jobs in the airport or Fred Meyer Distribution Center tracts. This location had a concentration of  workers for both work places. Workers trying to get to jobs around NE Eighty-Second Avenue and NE Alderwood Road, face a nearly ninety-minute commute that requires them to transfer twice on transit. Around twenty minutes of  their travel time is spent waiting at the transfer points. At the end of  their journey, they are faced with a three-quarter-mile walk from the Target in Cascade Station along a road where the sidewalks disap-pear before they reach their destination. If  they Transit centersTransit linesSelected Employment Taxlots (see figure 10) FMDC Census  Trac tPDX Census  Trac tPDX commutersFMDC commutersExample Transit RoutesPDX FMDC Figure 9  A comparison of two commutes from SE 136th Ave and SE Division StPage 19MetroscapeColumbia RiverJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJa JaJaJaJaJaJa JaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJaJa Ja Ja JaJaNE KILLINGSWORTH STNE 82ND AVENE COLUMBIA BLVDNE AIRPORT WAYNE PORTLAND HWYNE ALDERWOOD RD0 0.5 1MilesJa Transit stopsCommercialIndustrialEmploymentFrequent-serviceAll other linesBus & TrainWaterbodiesCASCADE STATIONPDX Airportmiss a transfer, they have a fifteen-minute wait for the next train. This trip is similar if  done at 8:00 a.m. or 8:00 p.m. While this area is near the airport, it is not well served by the Airport Max line.Workers starting their commute to the FMDC at 8:00 a.m. also face a trip that will take over ninety minutes and two transfers. Unlike their airport tract peers, nearly half  of  their travel time is spent waiting for buses (forty-five minutes). If  they tried to get there at 8:00 p.m., though, the bus from Clackamas Town Center would no longer be running. Understanding the CasesTransit use is fraught with perils. As workers live farther from work, their chances of  having to transfer buses or trains increases. One delay of  a connection can cause a worker to be late to work. This can lead to them being fired since low-wage industries are often less amenable to tardiness among their employees. Transit also takes time. A low-wage worker living close to work may not experience much time difference between transit and driving but living ten miles or more from work creates considerable time differences. Low-wage industries also tend to use night-shift labor more than other industries. Transit schedules often do not coincide with night-shift schedules leaving workers to either find a different mode or wait hours for a bus.Walking to work or walking from a transit stop can pres-ent many difficulties. Many locations around Portland lack sidewalks or convenient and safe places to cross busy streets. This presents a higher possibility of  a per-son walking to work getting injured or killed by a driver.Driving can severely strain a low-wage worker’s budget, but it also provides them a quicker and more convenient way to get to and from work and any other obligations they need to get to. As we see from the cases we pre-sented here, driving may be the only reasonable way for low-wage workers to get to work. Race and ethnicity also matter. Many populations of  color and low-income populations are concentrating east of  NE Eighty-Second Avenue, but low-income African-American’s dependence on transit presents a much larger problem when they move east of  NE Eighty-Second Avenue. In this area of  the region, their high rates of  transit usage will be difficult to maintain, but so will their budgets if  they switch to driving. Racial dis-crimination in the labor market may also mean they face a greater likelihood of  being fired over tardiness related to missing a bus, and a more difficult time finding a job after such an instance. We must always remember there is an intimate linkage between housing, jobs, and trans-portation and we must always consider what that linkage means as economic and racial segregation still exist in the region.Figure 10  Commuters to many of the commercial and industrial jobs in the PDX tract face heavy-traffic streets and long walks wherever they disembark.

The Geography of the Commute

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The Geography of the Commute

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