Average People Per Car

[kickflipjr]

While not directly related to fuel economy this shows the amount of cars with mutiple passangers. Today when I was eating at Taco Bell I decided to count the amount of pasangers I every car at the interesction i was parked at. *I did not count on cars with tinted windows. These are generally larger capacity vehicals such as SUVs/ Minivans. I hope that didn't sway results to much.* Also, I didn't count any Public transit Buses (there is no public transit routes on this road anyways).

Time: 7pm on a Saturday

Setting: Suburban Shopping Area

1 Pasanger : 35
2 Pasangers: 41
3 Pasangers: 17
4 Pasangers: 0
5 Pasangers: 3
6 (or more) Pasanger: 0

Total Cars Viewed: 96
Average: 1.906 Passangers per car

I think that this number would be lower on a major commuting route at 8am on a weekday.

[SVOboy]

I wonder now what the average seating capacity of those cars was. This seems like something to sit a camera on a road for an hour and just review the tape later, cuz I'm like that. Very interesting though. Carpooling is amazing, I did some of that on wednesday, other than that time there was no one to carpool, grr.

[Ryland]

you were sitting there on a saterday, right? saterdays more people have the day off, and are spending time with family or friends, and are more likely to have another person in there car, I wonder how this would have changed on a monday.

[tomauto]

Everybody could drive a smaller car...Its just, they dont want to. The only people I really see the need to have a larger car are huge families (which we are seeing less and less of those types) and contractors/builders etc. The other owners just get them because the size gives them security, peace of mind, or the once a week jaunt to the mall for clothing.

I got stuck buying a 4 door becuase I have 3 brothers that needed a ride to school every morning...Well that and the outrageous price I payed!

[thisisntjared]

i want to know these figures with suv's, trucks, sedans, and coupes respectively.

[kickflipjr]

I think I will check people per vehical during rush hour on a weekday next.

I will also mark down vehical type (suv, minivan, sedan, coupe, truck) . I will also try to write down 200 or more vehicals.

That should take under an hour. I only spent 15minuets on the last viewing.
Cars come and go rather quickly.

[thisisntjared]

this is going to be good.:)

[SVOboy]

Good to the max.

Too bad I put my other seat in to carpool or I'd be running at 100% seating capacity, :p

[95metro]

In my city, at any point on any day there will probably be 3 to 5 trucks (as in V8 Rams, Silverados, and F-Series) ahead of or passing me and all carrying 1 person.

[tomauto]

Id say 1 in 4 people drive a car in Texas. I haven't seen anybody switching in my small town either.

[Ryland]

Too bad I put my other seat in to carpool or I'd be running at 100% seating capacity, :p

but car pooling is one of the best ways to increase your gas mileage, miles per gallon per person that is, city busses for example might only get 7mpg, but if there are 20 people on that bus, they would each have to drive a car that got 140mpg in order to get that collective 7mpg.

[SVOboy]

I know, but there's no one to carpool with. I don't work the same hours with anyone at work and they wouldn't do that anyway cuz they all go to their own homes at lunch.

[kickflipjr]

The Much awaited rush hour test.

Time: 4pm on a Monday

Setting: Major commuting route (near suburban shopping area)
_________________________________________________
2 door Cars (50 viewed)
1 Pasanger : 39
2 Pasangers: 10
3 Pasangers: 1
Average: 1.24 Passangers per vehical
_________________________________________________
4 door Cars (118 viewed)
1 Pasanger : 80
2 Pasangers: 26
3 Pasangers: 10
4 Pasangers: 2
Average: 1.441 Passangers per vehical
_________________________________________________
Hatchback/Wagon Cars (33 viewed)
1 Pasanger : 23
2 Pasangers: 8
3 Pasangers: 1
4 Pasangers: 1
Average: 1.394 Passangers per vehical
_________________________________________________
SUVs (81 viewed)
1 Pasanger : 64
2 Pasangers: 13
3 Pasangers: 2
4 Pasangers: 2
Average: 1.284 Passangers per vehical
_________________________________________________
Van/Minivan/Work Van (50 viewed)
1 Pasanger : 38
2 Pasangers: 12
Average: 1.24 Passangers per vehical
_________________________________________________
Truck/Work Truck (50 viewed)
1 Pasanger : 45
2 Pasangers: 5
Average: 1.1 Passangers per vehical
_________________________________________________

Total
1 Pasanger : 289
2 Pasangers: 74
3 Pasangers: 14
4 Pasangers: 5
Total vehicals Viewed: 382

Average: 1.306 Passangers per vehical

[DaX]

Do any of you people have HOV lanes in your cities to encourage carpooling? We have them, and they are 24/7. Most cities with them are HOV only during rush hours from what I understand. Let me tell you how bad it blows to be sitting in gridlock traffic and there is a lane of cars scooting right along at about 40 mph. It's tempting to break the law, because there is no physical barrier to prevent single passenger cars from merging right into the HOV lane, but the DOT officers and police officers strategically position themselves to count passengers and love to nail people for breaking this law.

[kickflipjr]

Yeah pittsburgh has then on at least one highway into the city. It is two hov lanes. They open the general direction for traffic. Away from the city in the afternoon. Toward the city in the morning.

[thisisntjared]

the sport under untilized utility vehicle bites the dust.

im surprized that the same is even more true for vaans....

[95metro]

Kickflip - how long was your test conducted over? I'm impressed that you have any patience to do that!

[kickflipjr]

My sister helped me some. It took around 45minuets.

I was originally going to get 50 of each type. But I was having a hard time finding hatchbacks. So I counted a few more 4door cars and SUVs.

[MetroMPG]

Nice work kickflipjr.

As a civil engineering student, my brother used to get paid to do similar "work" - traffic counts at intersections. Ignored the number of vehicle occupants though :)

(Now he's the municipal engineer in the small city we live in. And you think I can get the guy to install some traffic circles instead of stoplights? Nooo...)

[95metro]

And you think I can get the guy to install some traffic circles instead of stoplights? Nooo...

How about Yield signs instead of Stop signs? I got slapped with a $175 "rolling through Stop-sign" fine a couple of years ago (and the cop gave me a break...$275 is the normal fee). I haven't done it since. :(

[kickflipjr]

I saw yield signs instead of stop signs at intersecions in the mid west (residential area). It kind of freaked me out.

[SVOboy]

At my gramma's they don't have signs on the gravel roads at all. My grandpa lost his jeep truck that way and someone else lost their life at the very same intersection another time. It's just a few miles from my gramma's house and prolly gets 10 cars each way a day, :(

[95metro]

Yeah, uncontrolled intersections - they can be really scary if people don't slow down and look. Most people don't understand that you are supposed to treat them as if yield signs are there and yield right-of-way to the driver on the right.

Yield signs are great for FE since you don't have to completely stop, but they are can be bad in a world chock-full of idiot drivers.