Car still king for Mayo commuters

DRIVE TIME Three out of four Mayo commuters still travel to work by car, highlighting the lack of transport options available in the county. Pic: Robert Ashby/geograph.ie


Anton McNulty

Census figures confirmed that the car is still very much king among Mayo commuters, with almost three-quarters of the working population travelling to work by car.
The latest census figures released by the Central Statistics Office underscore the vast difference in transport options available to urban workers compared to people living in rural areas.
In April 2016, when the census was taken, 34,389 people living and working in Co Mayo travelled to work by car, which equates to 73.2 percent. This is a good deal higher than the national figure of 65.6 percent, and in stark contrast to the figures for Dublin City and suburbs, where just 44.6 percent of workers travel to work by car.
While a total of 9.3 percent of commuters in Ireland use public transport, just 0.9 percent of Mayo commuters use public transport, while a further 8.2 percent walk. Just 0.8 percent cycle.
In Dublin City and suburbs, 13.6 percent avail of a bus or coach, while 7.9 percent use either the train, Luas or DART. Closer to home, 55 percent of commuters from Galway City and suburbs use the car, with 7.8 percent taking the bus and 16.4 percent walking.

Time to the grind
The 2016  Census figures also reveal that commuting times are increasing compared to the last census in 2011. The national average commuting time in April 2016 was 28.2 minutes, up from 26.6 minutes in 2011. Mayo commuters had an average commute of 23.3 minutes, compared to 22.6 minutes five years previously.
A lucky 35.8 percent of Mayo commuters have a journey time of less than 15 minutes, well above the national average of 22.9 percent, and 28.3 percent overall in Connacht. However, an unlucky 8.2 percent of Mayo commuters spend an hour or more travelling, compared to 7.3 percent in 2011, while 2.5 percent have a gruelling commute of over 90 minutes, as against 2.1 percent five years previously.
A total of 34,890 Mayo residents work in the county, while 3,479 people commute into the county for work. A further 4,948 people commute to work outside the county, giving a net loss of 1,469 in the working population. Of the commuters travelling to work in Galway City, 6 percent travelled from Co Mayo.

School run
Among primary-school children, 70.2 percent travel to school by car, while just 1,444 (10 percent) walk. The percentage travelling by bus fell to 15.1 percent in 2016, from 17.8 percent in 2011, while 0.8 percent of students cycle to school.
The picture changes a little for secondary-school children, 1,155 (11.3 percent) of which walk to school, while 51.4 percent travel by car. Another 34.6 percent travel by bus, while 0.3 percent cycle to school.