Commuting Is a Drag (on the Economy)

[edjr 5,579]

by Laura Rowley Link

 

 

Ron Rogers gets behind the wheel of his Acura Integra before dawn in Brentwood, Calif. His iPod, loaded with stand-up comedy and audio books, is hooked up to the car stereo.

 

Rogers needs plenty of audio material for his commute: He drives more than 90 miles -- roughly two hours each way -- from the San Francisco Bay Area to his job as a public relations specialist at a communications technology firm in suburban Sacramento.

 

Rogers is one of the 3.4 million workers that the Census Bureau has dubbed "extreme commuters." At least 2 percent of Americans wake up to a commute of 90 minutes or more one way. Not surprisingly, most of these workers live near major metropolitan centers: New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California, and Washington, D.C., have the most workers with extreme commutes.

 

 

The number of super-commuters nationwide has skyrocketed 95 percent since 1990, as workers hang on to lucrative jobs in city centers but move farther and farther afield in search of better housing, low crime, and good schools.

[supermike80 1,288]

by Laura Rowley Link

 

Everyone claims this is such a waste..But if you use the time constructively, is it? Audio books for instance can be very beneficial.

 

I bet many would say it woul dbe a great idea of Americans took an hour a day to learn something new, and would support audio books for this process.

 

So why not in the car?

[D_House 0]

Everyone claims this is such a waste..But if you use the time constructively, is it? Audio books for instance can be very beneficial.

 

I bet many would say it woul dbe a great idea of Americans took an hour a day to learn something new, and would support audio books for this process.

 

So why not in the car?

problem is most americans prolly listen to crap like stern and o&a rather than listen to audio books.

[edjr 5,579]

Everyone claims this is such a waste..But if you use the time constructively, is it? Audio books for instance can be very beneficial.

 

I bet many would say it woul dbe a great idea of Americans took an hour a day to learn something new, and would support audio books for this process.

 

So why not in the car?

 

I spend 150 a month to take the train 30 minutes to work and then the subway or walk (10 mins) in all it takes me an hour, with waiting and whatnot. I use the 30 mins on the train to read or play my PSP. Not having to sit in traffic, I'd pay 300 a month, it's so worth it.

[spork in the road 2]

I work in the DC area, some of the folks I work with commute from West Virginia. I can't imagine giving up another 4 hours of every single day.