Question 4.35

4.35 Modes of transportation.

Governments (local and national) find it important to gather data on modes of transportation for commercial and workplace movement. Such information is useful for policymaking as it pertains to infrastructure (like roads and railways), urban development, energy use, and pollution. Based on 2011 Canadian and 2012 U.S. government data, here are the distributions of the primary means of transportation to work for employees working outside the home:13

Car (self
or pool)		 Public
transportation		 Bicycle or
motorcycle		 Walk Other
Canada ? 0.120 0.013 0.057 0.014
U.S. ? 0.052 0.006 0.029 0.013
  1. What is the probability that a randomly chosen Canadian employee who works outside the home uses an automobile? What is the probability that a randomly chosen U.S. employee who works outside the home uses an automobile?
  2. Transportation systems primarily based on the automobile are regarded as unsustainable because of the excessive energy consumption and the effects on the health of populations. The Canadian government includes public transit, walking, and cycles as “sustainable” modes of transportation. For both countries, determine the probability that a randomly chosen employee who works outside home uses sustainable transportation. How do you assess the relative status of sustainable transportation for these two countries?

4.35

(a) For Canada: 0.796. For United States: 0.9. (b) For Canada: 0.204. For United States: 0.1. Canada is doing much better than the United States regarding sustainable transportation.