Long Commutes

The New Breed of Super Commuters
After two years of remote work, many workers reluctant to return to the office are compromising with less frequent, longer ‘super commutes.’

Long Commutes in Seattle Fell Sharply During the Pandemic
The number of people commuting 20 minutes or more each way dropped by close to half a million, while short commutes rose slightly.

Tech Buses: Not Just for Techies, and Not Just for San Francisco
What began as Google buses, transporting highly paid engineers from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, has transformed into multi-company fleets serving white- and blue-collar workers in the 3,000-square-mile Northern California megaregion.

Report: Congestion Pricing Could Speed Bus Trips
Advocates say New York's plan traffic management plan could raise $1.5 billion while saving express bus commuters hours per week.

Trends Show Lower-Income Millennials Driving More
Data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey reveals that circumstances may be forcing lower-income young people to drive greater distances.

Many New Yorkers Face Punishing Transit Commutes
As sky-high real estate prices force many lower-income New Yorkers to the periphery, they're paying an additional price in lengthy transit commutes. Meanwhile, real estate interests that benefit from transit investment bear few of its costs.

Housing, Transit Crunches Collide in the Bay Area
The New York Times explores the Bay Area housing crisis through one woman’s three-hour commute.

Metropolitan Corridors Absorb Rural Counties
As urban economies continue their upward trajectory, residents of counties once considered rural are commuting to cities. This has had both negative and positive effects on the communities in question.

Reports of 'Mega-Commutes' Greatly Exaggerated
No one is denying that many Americans endure long, arduous commutes. But the data does not verify reports that "mega-commutes" are on the rise.

Census Data: Renters Have Shorter Commutes
According to an analysis by the data research team at Trulia, renters have shorter commutes in 43 of 50 major metros. But despite there being more renters, commutes are still getting longer.
The Negative Effects of the Nation's Lengthening Commute
The collective amount of time Americans spend commuting is staggering, and it's only growing.

Zillow: Suburbs Becoming More Like Cities
According to the real estate website, urban home values are growing faster than those in the suburbs, bucking a longtime trend. This isn't exactly surprising, but it has serious social justice implications.
Bay Area Extreme Commuting for the Love of Larger, Affordable Single Family Homes
It's a tradeoff that 3.9 percent of the Bay Area workforce are willing to make to own an affordable home. It's often not even a choice between living in the city or the suburbs, but the close-in suburbs or the exurbs or San Joaquin Valley.

Mapping the Country's 38 Million Epic Commutes
The Wonkblog team puts new American Community Survey data to good use.

Homebuyers Return to the Exurbs
It's been a while since 2008, and a new crop of homeowners is colonizing the far-flung exurbs. Mostly foreclosed and even abandoned last time around, the exurbs are still a risky buy.

Poor Suburbs Struggle with Job Sprawl
Although unemployment has declined, according to this report commutes are getting longer. "Job sprawl" often plagues minority and poor areas where housing is more affordable.

'Jobs Sprawl' Plagues Cleveland Commutes
Research from Brookings puts Cleveland in last place for improving access to jobs from 2000 through 2012. And jobs sprawl is up throughout the rest of the country as well.

Dallas Addresses Transit-Dependent Poverty
In Dallas poorer people often rely on transit, a familiar pattern throughout the United States. But when car ownership grants access to opportunity, this can be a problem.
Is Your Commute Killing You?
Though research has been piling up on the adverse health impacts connected with driving long distances every day, it turns out that no matter how you travel to work, "having a job far from home can undermine health."
Another Reason to Dislike Huge Suburban Homes: They're Warming the Planet
A new research study out of Switzerland quantifies the disproportionate contribution to greenhouse gas emissions made by large homes and relatively long commutes. In one Swiss town, twenty-one percent of households create 50 percent of the emissions.
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