Factors influencing commuting choices in suburban labor markets: A case analysis of Pleasanton,California

Worsening suburban congestion in recent years has sparked considerable interest in the travel behavior of suburban workers. This paper examines workplace characteristics have influenced the modal and temporal travel choices of suburban employees, using Pleasanton, California, a fast-growing suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area, as a case setting. The incidence of ridesharing was found to be highest for large companies of single-tenant sites with predominantly white-collar workers. Employers who offer workers flex-time privileges tend to be smaller firms with professional staffs situated in multitenant complexes. Many opt for flex-time because they do not have a critical mass of workers to successfully launch and sustain ridesharing programs. Flex-time programs were found to hinder the formation of carpools and vanpools in suburban settings like Pleasanton. The preferred traffic management program, it is argued, would encourage the staggering of work schedules across, not within, companies in order to promote more ridesharing.