As more employers call workers back to the office, commute times are growing — and costing drivers in time and money.
According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2025 Urban Mobility Report, auto traffic cost the average U.S. driver 63 hours and increased congestion costs by 16 percent in 2024.
As Ryan Golden explains in Smart Cities Dive, contributing factors included an increased adoption of hybrid work schedules as more companies require workers to return to the office. “Sources who previously spoke to HR Dive viewed the economy’s larger return-to-office push as a potentially shortsighted move premised on employer convenience and the relative weakness of the talent market compared to that which characterized the immediate post-pandemic era.” Meanwhile, one study found that adopting remote work could save U.S. workers up to $183 million per day.
The report suggests that companies can adopt policies that incentivize workers to use alternate transportation modes and allow them to avoid traditional rush hours. “Local governments, meanwhile, can make more efficient use of monitoring technologies, improve road emergency response and diversify development patterns, among other actions.”
Read the full story: Commuters lost nearly 8 work days in 2024 to record-high traffic levels, report finds
From 9-to-5 to Anytime: How Telecommuting Changes the Traffic Game
Not all cities have benefited equally from congestion relief brought on by shifting commuting patterns.
US Traffic Patterns are Shifting, but Car-centric Development Persists
Los Angeles, Honolulu, and San Francisco ranked among the nation’s most congested cities, while New York reduced traffic and increased transit speed and ridership thanks to its congestion pricing program.
Twin Cities Commutes Faster Than Pre-Pandemic
Workers who have returned to in-person jobs are still experiencing less traffic congestion than in 2019.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority