54% of Metro Vancouver residents prefer to commute by driving: survey

Port Mann Bridge (Google Maps)

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Metro Vancouver residents suggest they currently have a “pleasant” commute to school or work on weekdays.

According to a new survey by Research Co., 81% of residents in Vancouver enjoy their commute to some degree, while the same is true for 71% of Surrey residents and 67% for residents within regions outside Vancouver and Surrey.

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Across the entire region, based on the mode of transportation, 76% who get around by driving say their commute is pleasant, and 71% of public transit riders indicated the same.

When asked about their ideal way to get to school or work if they had a choice, 54% said they would drive, 23% would use public transit, 6% would walk, and 14% would bike.

The preferences for driving and public transit are relatively consistent, with 50% in Vancouver, 58% in Surrey, and 55% in the rest of the region choosing driving, while the proportions for choosing public transit are 25% in Vancouver, 21% in Surrey, and 22% in other parts.

Of the 26% of regional residents who find their commute to be annoying, 76% blame traffic, 49% said dealing with bad drivers, 38% don’t like the overcrowding on public transit, 34% don’t want to wait for public transit vehicles (frequency of service), 22% cited noise, 19% said finding parking is difficult, and 3% blamed the lack of bike lanes.

Residents in Surrey (78%) and other parts of the region (77%) are slightly more likely to blame traffic for their poor commute experience than those living in Vancouver (72%). But Vancouver residents (24%) are more likely to note challenging parking to be a factor compared to Surrey (13%) and the rest of Metro Vancouver (20%).

When asked about whether they support tolls on roads or bridges if it guaranteed a shorter commute time, 51% of regional respondents did not support the idea, while 41% were in favour.

When asked whether their weekday commute is now better than before the pandemic, 23% of residents across the entire region said it’s now better, 47% said it’s about the same, and 27% said it’s now worse. Vancouver residents (55%) are more likely to say it’s roughly the same, while residents living outside of Vancouver and Surrey (40%) are more likely to say it’s now worse.

As for other preferences amongst regional residents as a whole, 85% said living close to work is important, 57% would consider moving to a new home to live closer to work if they changed jobs and had a longer commute, and 71% would choose an employer based on where the office is located.

Three-quarters (74%) of regional residents also said they would work from home more often if they could to avoid commuting.

The representative survey conducted last week gauged the opinions of 700 adults in the region, with a margin of error of +/- 3.7% 19 times out of 20.

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