The Atlantic Cities: Is Rush Hour Expanding?

The 2011 Urban Mobility Report came out yesterday, and one of its clearest conclusions is that "rush hour" is a terrible misnomer. The hour of congestion at the start and close of the average workday can expand to about six hours in some large metro areas. The worst time to be on the road is in the evening — 14 percent of daily delays occur from 5 to 6 p.m., with about 12 percent taking place from 4 to 5 p.m. — but traditional off-peak hours aren't much better. About 30 percent of a day's delays occurs during the midday hours, roughly 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and two-fifths of all daily delays occur outside traditional rush-hour periods.

These findings are particularly interesting when compared to another commuting chart released last week by the U.S. Census [PDF]. This data, which shows commute time based on hour of departure, was collected as part of the 2009 American Community Survey of U.S. metropolitan areas. Take a look first at the orange and light blue bars in the "drove alone" group. This shows that for the average car commuter in the average metro area, it took as long to get to work during rush hour (8 to 9 a.m.) as it did during midday (noon to 4 p.m.).

For the full article, visit The Atlantic.