Regional data show many Calamasa trips leave city; jobs alone won’t cut congestion, speaker says

Chris Gray, deputy executive director of the Western Riverside Council of Governments, told the Calamasa City Council on Aug. 18 that most travel affecting the city arises from a mix of trip types and that local governments have limited control over where residents work. Gray presented data drawn from the U.S. Census and commercial mobility vendors — Replica, Streetlight and Compass IoT — and said those sources show Calamasa residents travel widely for school, shopping, errands and work. “A lot of travel that’s not work related. It’s school, it’s shopping … We have congestion because all those trips are happening at once,” Gray said. Why it matters: The council heard context that complicates simple fixes such as trying to cut congestion by recruiting employers. Gray said adding employers to a community often attracts outside workers and does not guarantee jobs go to residents. Gray summarized several findings for Calamasa: a sizable share of daily trips originating in the city go to nearby jurisdictions (he cited Yucaipa as a major destination), many trips are non-work trips, and the region has more commuting between counties than in the past. He advised council members to treat local policy as creating options for residents and businesses rather than as direct levers to force where people live or work. Data and limitations: Gray told the council the analysis combines Census data with commercial mobility datasets and cautioned about privacy and sampling. “Does this data vendor violate my privacy? Actually, no, because you’ve either sold your data without knowing it, or you have sold it with knowing it, or you haven’t opted out,” Gray said. He also noted regional summaries mask variation among cities and that small cities typically have lower rates of residents who both live and work locally. Policy takeaways offered to the council included prioritizing quality of life and local business retention, being skeptical of promises that a single employer will substantially increase resident employment, and pursuing options — not mandates — to influence travel behavior. Council members thanked Gray and said the data will inform long-term planning on jobs, housing and transportation.