Voters Want New Transportation Choices To Reduce 'Serious' Traffic, Pollution Crises: Polls

VENICE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bird, the leader in Rideshare 2.0, today released new public opinion polling data indicating that 8 in 10 Americans believe car traffic and vehicle pollution are serious problems in their city, and more than 70 percent of survey respondents want new transportation options specifically for trips that are two miles or less.

Bird commissioned a national survey of voters and additional polling in Chicago and New York that revealed a consistent message: the public wants new transportation options to reduce traffic and environmental harm. 73 percent acknowledge their own car use for trips under two miles is causing climate damage.

Nationally, 85 percent believe there should be more transportation options to reduce traffic and congestion, and 76 percent said they want more options specifically for trips that are shorter than two miles.

In New York, support for new transportation options to reduce traffic congestion was nearly universal at 95 percent, while in Chicago it was 88 percent. Eighty-seven percent of New Yorkers said they want city officials to commit to options that reduce the number of cars; 81 percent said the same in Chicago.

Nationwide, 73 percent of voters said they use their car for trips that are less than two miles, and 40 percent said they do so on a daily basis.               

Also nationally:

• 84 percent say cities should provide more environmentally friendly alternatives to driving;
• 80 percent support increasing the number of bike and scooter lanes in their city;
• 78 percent want to create more space on roads for non-car transit options; and
• 71 percent believe city officials should ensure there are enough bikes and scooters that are convenient to access.

In a sign of how frustrated voters are, more than half of those polled said they would make interesting sacrifices to reduce the amount of time they spend sitting in traffic or waiting for public transportation. Some 26 percent said they would give up social media for a year; an additional 14 percent said they would shave their head. 

"Consumers want choice with everything they do and experience, including transportation," said Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden. "These surveys make clear that voters want their leaders to reduce traffic and give them a convenient, affordable, and environmentally friendly option for short trips so they don't have to rely on cars."

The surveys were conducted for Bird by Global Strategy Group. The Chicago/New York poll surveyed 808 registered voters in Chicago and 817 in New York between September 28 and October 5. The national poll surveyed 1,024 registered voters with an oversample of 252 in Los Angeles, 252 in New York, 256 in San Francisco, and 258 in Washington, D.C. between August 14 and August 21.

About Bird
Bird is a last-mile electric vehicle sharing company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally-friendly transportation solutions to communities across the world. It provides a fleet of shared electric scooters that can be accessed via smartphone. Birds give people looking to take a short journey across town, or down that "last mile" from the subway or bus to their destination, a way to do so that does not pollute the air or add to traffic. Bird works closely with the cities in which it operates to be a reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there. Founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is headquartered in Venice, Calif., and is rapidly expanding around the world. Follow Bird on Instagram (www.instagram.com/bird), on Twitter at @BirdRide, and find more information at www.bird.co.

SOURCE Bird

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