REGIONAL REPORT : Congestion Fails to Drive Motorists to Car Pooling : Transportation: Interest in ride sharing is actually less today. Incentives need to be stronger, experts say.

For years, the gospel according to car-pool prophets went something like this: Once the gridlock on Southern California’s web of freeways got nasty enough, motorists would surely abandon the single-occupant automobile and team up with fellow commuters for the ride to work.

Well, things are pretty miserable out there these days, but most motorists are still clinging to that long-cherished Southland credo: One person, one car.

For proof, look no further than the other cars sardined on the freeway during rush hour. From Audis to Nissan Zs, they are, by and large, occupied by a solo motorist.

During 1989, nearly 4 out of 5 people in Southern California commuted alone, and only about 14% car-pooled, experts said. The average number of occupants in cars has actually dropped during the last decade, falling on Los Angeles freeways from 1.22 people per vehicle in 1980 to 1.19 so far this year. A recent survey showed that the percentage of people interested in car pooling plummeted from 62% in 1988 to 41% last year.

Reversing those trends could prove a tall order. Transportation experts say the reasons for ridesharing’s lackluster performance are about as varied as the daily mix of cars on the Santa Ana Freeway.

“We don’t have more car pooling in large part because people don’t clearly perceive any advantages,” said Peter Valk, president of Transportation Management Services, a Pasadena-based consulting firm. “I call it WIFM--what’s in it for me. WIFM is what motivates all of us in our daily lives. There’s economics, personal logistics, all sorts of factors. The WIFMs have to be strong enough to compel someone to change the routine.”

So far, the routine for most motorists has not varied much, and that bodes ill for the region. If public transportation and ride sharing do not catch on, experts warn that in the next 20 years there could be a fivefold increase in congested freeway miles. Average speeds on roads and highways would drop to less than 20 m.p.h. from about 35 m.p.h. now.

“We need to almost double the number of people ride sharing to absorb the growth we face and maintain the level of mobility we have now,” said Bob Huddy, associate transportation planner for Southern California Assn. of Governments.

The disappointing percentage of car poolers varies little from county to county. In Orange County, about 12% of the motorists car-pooled at least once a week in 1988, about the same percentage as residents of other Southland counties. The average occupancy of cars in Orange County is estimated at 1.13 people per vehicle, only fractionally lower than Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

Perhaps the greatest variations can be seen from freeway to freeway. Although they are two of the busiest highways in the world, the Santa Monica Freeway and the Santa Ana Freeway from Orange County typically have the lowest vehicle occupancy, according to Caltrans. The Hollywood, Pomona and Harbor freeways, meanwhile, have the highest rates.

As transportation gurus see it, several factors have in recent years extinguished any embers of hope for a marked upswing in car pooling.

Relatively low gas prices through most of the 1980s and the unwavering practice by most businesses of subsidizing employee parking have eased the financial costs of driving a car and kept workers commuting alone instead of jumping with both feet into ride sharing.

Many motorists grumble about the inconvenience of car pooling--the time lost picking up passengers or the potential hassle of not having a way to run errands during the workday.

Others jealously guard the inner sanctum of their cherished vehicle. Car pooling, they worry, could mean opening the door to strangers who, God forbid, might have bad breath or a penchant for rock music instead of radio news.

“For me, it was the White Shoulders perfume,” explained Martha Washburn, a legal assistant in Newport Beach who gave up car pooling after seven months. “It sounds like picky stuff, but in the morning the smell of this woman’s perfume would just linger. I’d sometimes get nauseous, especially if I didn’t have breakfast.”

Status can also play a role. The task of prying someone from their Mercedes or BMW and putting them into something as sensible as a car pool has proven particularly vexing in car-crazy Southern California, where what one drives often equates to who one is.

“During the go-go ‘80s, people felt they would lose a few notches on the social scale if they even thought about ride sharing,” said Peter Everett, a Penn State University marketing professor who has done extensive research on car pooling. “You’re not going to get a guy out of his $30,000 car to save a few dollars and lose an incredible amount of social status. Prestige is a big deal.”

Proponents of car pooling are the first to admit ride-sharing fever is not exactly sweeping the Southland. But they see reason for hope.

The passage in June of a state gas tax increase to finance transportation improvements will fund construction of more car-pool lanes that should help encourage ride sharing along traffic-choked freeways.

Meantime, Commuter Transportation Services Inc., the nonprofit outfit that helps match car poolers in Southern California from a list of 500,000 commuters registered with its Commuter Computer service, is planning a campaign early next year stressing that occasionally ride sharing can help.

One day a week is all they ask.

“We’d see an immediate reduction in traffic by 20%,” said Jim Sims, the agency’s president. “It would mean free-flowing traffic, less pollution and a shorter trip to work for everyone.”

Although it is too soon to tell the long-term effects, car-pool promoters are encouraged by an increase in the number of drivers calling for ride-sharing information since the Persian Gulf crisis created a price increase at the gas pump.

There also is the driving force of Regulation 15, the region’s new air quality provision that requires employers to try to reduce the number of automobile trips to the workplace. The rule requires businesses with more than 100 employees to submit ride-sharing plans to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. While the companies are required to promote ride sharing, employees are not obligated to participate. The full effect of the regulation has yet to be felt, but many businesses already have embraced car pooling as their prime tactic for easing congestion.

“I think for most companies, car pooling is certainly the cheapest way to meet the goals,” said Claudia Keith, an AQMD spokeswoman. “Employers have found car pooling helps get workers to the job on time and not as stressed out. A lot of companies are realizing it can be a bonus instead of a hindrance.”

Critics say Southern California companies are not taking aggressive enough measures to promote widespread ride sharing. They argue that the battle to win car-pool converts must begin in the company parking lot.

Studies by SCAG show that if more commuters had to pay for parking in pricey high-rise lots, where the monthly tab can run upward of $200, ride sharing would surge. Many employers seem reluctant to embrace the notion. When Los Angeles recently imposed a 10% parking tax, many companies simply absorbed the extra cost.

Moreover, workers tend to balk when their free parking is threatened. Los Angeles County officials encountered stiff resistance from unions over a plan to make county employees pay for parking. But last week, they instituted the plan.

Southland cities have not helped matters, doggedly sticking to the timeworn practice of requiring plentiful parking at new office buildings instead of advocating ride sharing and other alternatives. Most cities are reluctant to adopt the more progressive posture, fearful that businesses will move down the block to municipalities that do not limit parking.

Some ride-sharing advocates are pushing another tactic, urging companies to stop underwriting parking and instead offer workers a “transportation allowance” of perhaps $100 if they car-pool or use public transit. Under this scenario, workers who continue to drive alone would be hit by a double whammy--they would pay for parking and not reap any monetary benefit.

“The way parking is now, it’s a use it or lose it proposition for most workers,” Huddy said. “Our evidence shows that given the choice, people would tend to keep the money and try to find another way to work.”

Other factors--both philosophical and psychological--have conspired to stem the growth of car pooling.

Although freeways are getting more congested, the day-to-day changes are so minute that commuters are not spurred to take evasive action such as joining a car pool. Moreover, most do not perceive ride sharing to be a financial boon, even though studies by Commuter Computer indicate that it can save as much as $2,000 in wear and tear on the car and gas costs.

Research also shows that many commuters are afraid to take the leap because of an initial shyness with strangers. Promoters have found that the most lasting car pools spring from the home or workplace.

Some people cannot seem to even buy a car-pool mate.

George Davidovich, a legal secretary at a downtown Los Angeles law firm, said he has come up empty handed after searching for a year. During the hunt, he advertised in the company newsletter, offered to make espresso each morning, and even promised to pay the full tab for parking.

“I found nobody,” he muttered. “I’m still kind of shaking my head about it.”

The workaday world can also infringe on car pools. A big overtime project may cause problems, or dropping the kid off at child care can get in the way.

“Car pooling is not very flexible,” said David Stein, principal planner for SCAG. “If one person has to work even five minutes late, they either have to delay their partner or find another way home. For a professional, that’s difficult.”

Ken Bauer, a car-pool veteran of two decades, has a ready remedy.

“We don’t wait for people if they’re late,” said Bauer, human resources manager for Arco in Los Angeles. “We have specific times and we leave at those times. And we leave people. It’s amazing. You may leave someone once or twice and all of a sudden they get the message and aren’t late any more.”

Many commuters stay out of car pools because they think they would waste time.

“It’s faster to go out into your garage, hop into the car and drive to work,” said Elizabeth Deakin, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Studies. “If you have to stop and pick someone up you can add five or 10 minutes to the trip. Unless there’s some countervailing force like a car-pool lane to save a bit of time, it’s hard for most people to justify that they’re doing it for the good of society.”

With the looming threat of Regulation 15, some businesses have retaliated by guaranteeing workers a ride home via taxicab if they miss their car pool. Others, such as IBM in downtown Los Angeles, have contracted with rental car firms to provide employees midday wheels if they need them.

Many firms continue to push car pooling with incentives such as mugs bearing the company logo or parking spaces a few steps closer to the office. Some authorities say it is not enough.

“As long as we restrict the incentives for car pooling to things that are really rather mild, like prizes and free lunch once a month, we’re going to get a rather mild response,” said Genevieve Giuliano, an associate professor of urban and regional planning at USC. “It’s not enough to offset the extra time and loss of convenience.”

Car-Pooling in Southern California Through traffic is worse than a decade ago, car pools now make up a smaller percentage of the vehicles on the road, according to Caltrans. As a result, the average number of people per vehicle has dropped slightly since 1980. ‘80: 1.22 ‘82: 1.20 ‘84: 1.18 ‘86: 1.17 ‘88: 1.17 ‘90*: 1.19* *Estimate for 1990