The pie charts illustrate the modes of transportation used by people in a European country for commuting to work and from work back home in 1959 and 2009.
Overall, there was an increase in the use of private vehicles, while the figures for public transport showed little change. Moreover, people also had to spend significantly more time and travel longer distances to work.
When it comes to personal means of transport, a remarkable 55% of residents in this country went to work on foot in 1959; however, this figure rapidly decreased by half to 25% by 2009. Conversely, the percentage of workers using cars as their main vehicle for their working purpose was only 10% in the first year but rose dramatically to 35% by the later year, making it the most popular means of transport in 2009.
Regarding the remaining modes of transportation, the proportions of those going to work by public transport relatively remained the same, with 15% using trains and 13%-15% using buses. On the other hand, the percentage of people with other types of transport witnessed a notable increase, from 5% to 12%.
Along with the shifts in transportation preferences was a significant increase in both the average commuting distance and duration. Specifically, workers in this country had to travel only 3.5 km to and from work in 1959, but this distance nearly increased eightfold to 19 km by 2009. Similarly, the average travel time rose from 17 minutes to 42 minutes during the same years.