Survey: More Californians Choosing To Leave Their Cars At Home

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — LA's freeways don't seem to be less packed from day to day, but a study has found that more Californians are actually choosing to walk, bike or take public transportation.

A new Caltrans survey shows nearly a quarter of Californians are choosing to travel by foot, bike, bus or train, a double-digit jump from a decade ago.

One commuter named Mark says he has a car, but uses Metro to commute from Canoga Park to Silver Lake.

"The traffic is unbearable. You save a lot of money on gas," he said.

Another car-less commuter says he catches the train from East LA to downtown, where he works as an art writer, regularly.

"Everybody I know, nobody has a car. They take public transportation – buses, trains, Metrolink, bikes," Jim said.

The survey also found that it was mostly those under the age of 40 who were shifting away from the habits of old.

In spite of these new habits, Southern California still has the worst traffic in the country.