Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

about 35 minutes.
In other words, if around 67 percent of Bloomington residents currently drive alone to
work and the average commute time for most of these drivers is 19 minutes, then a shift to
other modes of transportation will require a change in habits. For Monroe County residents
commuting into Bloomington, walking
is almost certainly out of the question
and biking would be a challenge. The
greater the distance, the lower the
likelihood that people will turn to
bicycles or walking as ways to get to
work, or anywhere else.
Land Use Patterns
Source: The Associated Press
As discussed in the previous chapter, settlement patterns of the past have really been
shaped by cheap fuel and with little regard to non‐car transportation. Most new housing
developments are separated from other land uses such as schools, shopping centers,
workplaces, day care centers, garden supply stores, hardware stores, theaters, and
workplaces. In Bloomington, the distances between these destinations are easy and fast to
overcome by car and, given the low fuel prices that prevailed for decades, it was also
inexpensive. However, for most people, the current land use patterns are major
impediments to biking and walking. In some instances, residential areas are physically
adjacent to shopping areas and other land uses, but no direct road connections exist
between them, for fear that traffic might spill into the neighborhood.
Taking into consideration all the different things that people are accustomed to doing on a
daily basis and considering that residents often make multiple trips in different directions
to reach different destinations, walking and biking are just not feasible alternatives –
especially if trips involve young children, or the elderly who may move around more
slowly.
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force
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