CALGARY -- Young Canadians are more likely than their older colleagues to go green and cycle, walk or take public transit to work according to the latest census data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.
But analysts say it's not clear whether the growing threat of climate change is a factor in that decision.
"We know young people tend to live closer to their workplace," analyst Martin Turcotte said, noting those with less than than a kilometre's commute tend not to drive.
"Young people are also less likely to own a car."
More than 60 per cent of people who said they used a sustainable mode of transportation to get around were between the ages of 15 and 34, while those who live in the suburbs, work in the manufacturing sector and are above 35 were more likely to drive.
Montreal recorded the greatest number of green commuters with nearly 29 per cent indicating they ditch their vehicles for more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. The most significant increase was among those 25 to 35. Some 33 per cent of them said they used sustainable modes of transportation in 2006 compared to 29.5 per cent in 2001.
Ottawa and Toronto commuters were also more likely to use sustainable modes of transportation, while Abbotsford, B.C., Barrie, Ont., and St. Catharines, Ont., were among the metropolitan areas to record the fewest green commuters.
Owning a car used to be a rite of passage for young people, but environmental awareness among that generation has made gas guzzlers uncool, said Dan McDermott, director of the Ontario chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada.
The financial burden of car ownership, namely the high cost of gasoline, parking and insurance, are other deterring factors.
"The desire to own a car is diminishing for a number of reasons -- environmental consciousness being high on that list," McDermott said.
"Certainly, economic reality weighs in as well and with gas scheduled to hit $1.50 a litre, that makes the question about buying a car one that young people on limited resources will look long and hard at before making that choice."
Exiting the C-train on her way to work in downtown Calgaray, 33-year-old Maurine Agoawike said she prefers public transit because it's faster and more reliable not to mention cheaper.
"I can't drive because it's expensive to park downtown. I mean, how much am I being paid?" she joked.
"Why should I spend so much money driving and parking in a month. It's not worth it."
For others the motivation is far purer.
"It's environmentally friendly," said Chris O'Connor, a 30-year-old student who uses public transit to get to class at the University of Calgary.
"Do others do that? Probably not. It's probably because it's cheaper and parking is very expensive downtown."
Census figures show that over the last five years, 216,000 more people, or about a half a percentage point, decided to climb aboard some form of public transit in Canada.
In 2006, more than 10 million Canadian workers said they drove their car to work, 714,900 more drivers than were reported in 2001. The increase, however, was smaller than the one million additional drivers counted between 1996 and 2001.
The number of people travelling as passengers in a vehicle rose by nearly one percentage point, suggesting that more people were choosing to carpool. It also suggests those in the 15-34 age group are more likely to choose to bike or take the bus to work.The reliance on the car seems to increase as the age of commuters gets older.
"I think it's a bit of both actually - people wanting to save the environment and save money," said Lauren Peters, 20, of Calgary.
"I think Calgary has made some substantial changes in terms of transit and going green and I think that's really positive."
Surprisingly, Calgary with its booming economy and growing population ended up about middle of the pack when it came to transit use and distance travelled during commuting. Despite it's plethora of gas guzzling SUV's, days where there is an alarming brown haze above the skyline and being home to most of Canada's oil and gas companies about 77-per cent of Calgary commuters drove or rode in a vehicle with the remaining 23 per cent taking transit, cycling or walking.
Vancouver, with its milder temperatures and greener reputation was only slightly better with 75 per cent driving to work.
"If you look at the greater Vancouver region you have people who are almost totally car-dependent. The percentage of all transit trips is about 11 per cent region wide," lamented David Fields, of the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation in Vancouver.
"The transit service they need is just not there and it doesn't make sense for them to wait an hour for the bus when they can have their second cup of coffee in comfort in their car."
While Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal have high transit usage, ranging from 25-to-28 per cent, other Canadian cities are notably low.
In Edmonton, 83 per cent of commuters drive to work, while in Regina the figure is 88 per cent.
In many cases it is simply a case of poor transit service and time constraints.
"I don't know many people who take the bus," said Lynette Morrison, 35, in Regina.
"I think convenience outrules green. It's just not worth it. Environmentally it would be better but the extra money it costs to drive outweighs the extra time it would take."
Martin Turcotte, the lead analyst on the study from Statistics Canada, said what was surprising out of the data is there was any measurable change at all over the five year period on driver habits.
"Things don't change dramatically over a five-year period. I guess the most interesting thing is to see in some of them the green transportation is growing much faster than in other ones," he said.
There are other factors that can influence commuting patterns as well, he said.
"The way the cities are built - some sprawling metropolitan areas are not designed in a way to provide public transit. In those, the public transit use would be lower."
Okotoks, a town of 20,000 south of Calgary, is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada with a 46 per cent growth rate since 2001. It has two dubious distinctions in the census data. Roughly 91 per cent of its residents drive to work in Calgary since transit service is limited. And they also have the longest daily commute in Canada at 25 km compared to 9.4 km in Toronto, 6.5 km in Halifax and 4.6 km in Regina.
Then there are the lucky ones. The Canadians who are able to avoid the frustration and confusion of the morning commute by working at home.
Steve Poulin, 52, is an art restorer who works out of his home studio in Cabbagetown in downtown Toronto. While his wife bikes to work to her job as a professor at the University of Toronto, he spends his days away from the rush.
"Being green and being a non-commuter is actually a good idea because I'm saving money because you have all these expenses of a car and wasting two hours a day on the highway. It's good for the planet and it makes economic sense," said Poulin who does own a car and empathizes with those who drive every day.
"You come out and your knuckles are really white at the end of rush hour and you can't guarantee you are going to be where you need to be at any specific time."
--The Canadian Press
PREVIOUS
