Travel Trends Snapshot

Understanding how our region moves

This snapshot report delves into data on existing and emerging travel behavior patterns in the region regarding mode share, vehicle use, travel time, and commuting patterns, highlighting the most significant findings that will inform the development of ON TO 2050. The first section focuses on the recent decline in VMT and some possible explanations for this change, including economic conditions and generational differences in driving habits. The second section explores commuting patterns and how workers' travel decisions are shaped by a number of interrelated factors, including where they live and work, whether they own a car, how much they earn, and the value they place on their time, cost, and comfort. The final section briefly explores new ways people are getting around the region.

Explore daily traffic by the hour

On an average weekday, people in the Chicago region travel a cumulative distance of more than 136 million miles. They travel for a variety of reasons, including shopping, commuting, and to reach recreation destinations. The average resident over the age of 13 makes about four trips each weekday, with each trip averaging less than five miles. Explore how all these different trips are spread across one day in the life of the region's transportation system and download the dataset from the CMAP Data Hub.

Click here or on the image below to view an interactive graphic about
"a day in the life" of metropolitan Chicago's transportation system.