Emporia has been ranked number 16 on a list of best commuter cities in Kansas by The Obrella Insider, an insurance report and information company.

Kerry Sull, city clerk, said that the easy access to different highways allows for quicker, more convenient travel around Emporia, and likely contributed to the city’s high ranking on the list.

“We have two major highways, highway 99 going north and south and U.S. highway 50 going east and west,” Sull said. “We also have the interstate, so you can go from one side of town to the other by cutting through.”

Obrella determined the rankings by analyzing traffic data for cities with a population of 3,000 or more. Marisa Meyer, senior English education major, said that the amount of traffic in town does not have much of an impact on her commute times.

“Sometimes traffic is a little heavy near the school, but it’s not really bad overall,” Meyer said.

According to Obrella, only 0.43 percent of Emporia commuters use public transportation to get to work.

Meyer said that her personal vehicle is her primary way of getting around, and that she was not aware of many public transportation options available in Emporia.

“I think I’ve seen a transit bus a couple of times, but that’s about as exciting as it gets,” Meyer said. “I don’t really know of a lot of other options though.”

Sull said that Emporia’s small size makes it easy for those without a vehicle to get around town.

“We have a cab company and the L-Cat,” Sull said. “But we aren’t that big, so nothing is really out of walking distance or is close enough to be able to ride a bicycle.”

Obrella said that the average commute time for Emporia residents is around 15 minutes.

Caitlen Giesing, senior secondary English education major, said that Emporia is an easy city to navigate, and allows for reasonable commute times.

“For work, it takes about four minutes. For school, it takes about seven minutes,” Giesing said. “The only place that really slows me down is on 12th and Rural at the four-way stop.”

Emporia came in just ahead of Salina, which ranked number 17, and behind Scott City at 15. Beloit was rated number one overall in the state.