Some Commute Times Worsening Despite Remote Work Trends

Despite expectations that the rise of remote work would shorten commutes—and data from the Census Bureau showing that to be, on average, true—“Experts say they are seeing traffic turmoil in many U.S. metropolitan areas, particularly those with government, tech and other jobs that lend themselves to hybrid schedules.”

As Katherine Shaver reports in the Washington Post, “Commutes now concentrated into a few days a week are causing noticeable swings in daily traffic volumes — motorists say Wednesdays are the worst — while greater flexibility in when to leave home has changed the timing of the morning rush.” According to Shaver, “Traffic at the height of rush hour feels as bad as ever in the Washington region and other large metro areas, experts say, because even a small increase tips a heavily saturated road network from free-flowing to stop-and-go.” The morning rush has been more affected by the pandemic than the evening rush hour, when more people run personal errands. 

In Montgomery County, the traffic management system has been adjusting the timing of traffic lights to adapt to changing commute patterns, and Washington, D.C.’s Department of Transportation is working on an analysis of whether similar adjustments are necessary in the District. The region’s rail system, Metrorail, hit its highest ridership numbers since the pandemic began last Wednesday, but is still at only 44 percent of pre-pandemic trips.