Commuting time increases very slightly

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2001-08-14

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The average commuting time for workers in the USA increased by slightly less than two minutes in the past decade, according to U.S. census data. This despite an increase of some 27 million vehicles on the nation's highways. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) web site outlines the findings and quotes Alan Pisarski as saying that the numbers don't indicate whether people are making longer trips or slower trips due to congestion. "It may be a little of both," he said. "What's remarkable is the performance of the system."

The survey includes information on education, housing, population, and commuting characteristics. The findings show the average commuting time increased from 22.4 minutes in 1990 to 24.3 minutes in 2000. An estimated 44 percent of workers can get to their jobs in less than 20 minutes, while 7 percent travel an hour or more. A total of 87.5 percent of workers get to their jobs by car, truck, or van. Mass transit's market share held steady at only about 5 percent. Workers walking to work slipped from 3.9 to 2.7 percent. Employees working at home increased only slightly from 3.0 to 3.2 percent. Carpooling declined from 13 percent in 1990 to 11 percent in 2000. Workers driving to work alone increased from 73 percent in 1990 to 76 percent in 2000. Many of these results have negative environmental consequences.

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