Traffic Getting Better In Lakewood? Census Thinks So

LAKEWOOD, OH — Despite growth in the city's population, the commute time for Lakewood residents to their jobs seems to be decreasing. The mean travel time for resident's dropped from 23.7 minutes to 23.4 minutes, according to the Census Bureau.

That may seem like a marginal drop, but it's impressive considering Lakewood's burgeoning population. The city has seen an influx of residents in the last year and a blossoming reputation as one of Cuyahoga County's hottest suburbs.

In fact, the Census estimates that the number of people commuting to work has grown to 28,011 from 27,415 in 2015.

Maybe the decrease comes as a result of less people driving to work. The Census says 86.2 percent of residents are taking some kind of automobile to work. That's down from 86.7 in 2015.

But if residents aren't driving...how are they getting to work? It's actually not clear. The percentage of people that are bicycling, walking or taking public transportation to work didn't increase in 2016. In fact, some of the percentages dropped.

How's your commute? Is it getting better or worse? Tell us in the comments.

For example, despite the popular focus on bicycle lanes and biker safety in the city, the number of people cycling to work in Lakewood decreased by .1 percent from 2015 to 2016.

One factor contributing to the drop in commute time is where people are working. More people have jobs in Cuyahoga County than they did in 2015. A little more than 90 percent of Lakewood commuters were working in the county in 2016, that's up from 89.7 percent in 2015.

Another factor contributing to the drop in commute time is residents are leaving for work earlier. The number of commuters that left for work between midnight ad 4:59 a.m. increase by .3 percent in 2016.

The most popular departure time continues to be between 9 a.m. and noon, but less residents are leaving at that time than last year. That means less traffic on the streets and an easier commute for everyone.

Patch File Photo