Getting to Work in Goleta

Every day, thousands of commuters from north Santa Barbara County and Ventura come to jobs in the South County, including many in Goleta and UCSB. Most drive alone, but getting people out of their cars is becoming a little easier with the rising cost of gasoline. Add to this the years of highway construction near Milpas Street facing the 15,000-plus commuters from Ventura, and alternative ways of getting to work are beginning to look more and more attractive.

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) study of commuting patterns in Santa Barbara County from 2002 to 2007 shows a seven percent reduction in people driving alone, a 3.5 percent increase in carpooling, a 1.2 percent increase in bus riders, and a 3.7 percent increase in telecommuting. A similar trend was seen for commuters from Ventura County. It is likely that these numbers have moved even further in the same direction in the last year.

Two factors are at play here: traffic congestion, particularly from the south, and the cost of driving. It seems that $4 a gallon for gas may be the tipping point for many drivers, making it cheaper for them to take the bus. Kent Epperson of SBCAG’s Traffic Solutions estimates that a Ventura commuter switching from driving alone to riding the Coastal Express bus can save about $5,000 a year. The Coastal Express runs from Oxnard and Ventura to Santa Barbara and Goleta, while the Clean Air Express runs from Lompoc and Santa Maria to the South Coast. Riding the bus can be relaxing compared with fighting traffic alone. You can read or sleep, and both bus systems plan to add Internet access in the near future so you can look at email, work or play on-line games, all the while looking down on the cars slowly crawling beside you! 30 to 40 riders on the bus can take that many cars off the road, reducing both congestion and air pollution. The disadvantage is that you are without a car at work, but a number of larger employers such as UCSB have cars available during the day.