Census figures show high car usage among Irish workers

More than half of Ireland’s 1.6 million workers drive to work every day, according to the latest census figures published by the Central Statistics Office.

The CSO said 55% of those questioned in the 2002 census drove to work, while a further 14% travelled to work as car passengers or as van or lorry drivers.

Carrigaline was found to have the highest car usage among workers at 74%, followed by Dunboyne (70%), Tramore (67%), and Naas (65%).

The census figures published today also showed that Irish workers travelled an average of just under 10 miles from their homes to their workplace in 2002, compared to an average of 6.7 miles in 1996.

The average journey time to work was found to be 27 minutes.

The figures showed that urban workers spent longer travelling to work than rural workers, even though they lived closer to their places of work.

The CSO said only 11% of employees walked to their place of work in 2002.