Live in L.A.? Then don’t drive
I hate traffic jams. Of course, that’s like saying I hate having heavy objects dropped onto my head. Everyone hates traffic jams.
I’m lucky, though. I work from home. So even though I live in Chicago, a city famous for its awful traffic, I rarely get stuck.
Most others, though, are not so lucky. Forbes.com recently ran a story by Elisabeth Eaves that reported what we all instinctively know: Traffic is getting worse in our major cities.
The story says that the average travel time to work is increasing steadily. Commuters today average a 25.5-minute trip each way to work. And in some parts of the country, commutes are downright unbearable. In Los Angeles, for instance, the average commuter spends 93 hours a year stuck in traffic. In fact, the Texas Transportation Institute, which studies traffic problems across the country, reports that the average commuter in cities with more than 1 million people spends 47 hours a year stuck in traffic. In cities with more than 3 million people, the average commuter spends 61 hours stuck in traffic each year.
That’s a lot of wasted time. That’s why I believe it is so important to live near where you work. If that’s not possible, buy a residence near public transportation. Commuter trains are a far easier way to get to work.
Fortunately, developers for several years have been focusing on what are called transit-oriented developments. These are usually a mix of residences and retail establishments located within walking distance of commuter rail lines. The point is to encourage people to leave their cars behind and walk to nearby shops and restaurants, and to their local train station when it’s time to head into the city or suburbs for work.
I know I couldn’t stand wasting 61 hours a year stuck in traffic. I can barely stand wasting 15 minutes in a traffic jam.
So how about you? Do you deal every day with a monster commute? And if so, how do you do it? Let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
Tags: California, Forbes, Los-Angeles, Texas Transportation institute, trafficRelated Stories
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