County Commuters Fare Well in Study

Ventura County commuters drive the shortest distances, feel the least stress and are more satisfied with their daily drive than other Southern California commuters, according to a survey released this week.

As in past years, the sixth annual State of the Commute Report, produced by Commuter Transportation Services Inc., also found that Ventura County commuters spend less time on the road than their counterparts in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

On average, Ventura County commuters spent about 59 minutes driving to and from work each day, 20 minutes less than Riverside commuters and five minutes less than commuters living in Los Angeles, according to the agency survey.

The Los Angeles-based agency, also known as Commuter Computer, is the oldest and largest in the country providing information on ride-sharing and commuting.

The survey was based on a telephone poll of 2,625 residents, 525 in each of the five counties. The agency cautioned that residents were surveyed late last year, prior to the Jan. 17 earthquake, which may have altered commuting habits.

Among the survey’s findings:

* About 82% of Ventura County commuters drive alone to and from work, putting them in the middle among the five counties.

* On a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being best, Ventura County commuters rated their overall driving satisfaction at 6.9, the highest in the five-county region.

* About 13% of Ventura County commuters said they were bothered by traffic “very often,” compared to 24% in Orange County and 18% in Riverside County.