6/11/2007

The insane commuting in America

According to a Chicago Tribune article today, annual commuting costs for US working family was reaching 5 figures in 2005. In major metro areas, the cost is the highest in Atlanta ($10,890), lowest in New York ($7,880). So for a middle-class family with a annual income of $50,000, 20% of the money are just enough to get to and back from the work, not to mention commuting being non-productive and environment polluting.

2 comments:

khengsiong said...

Perhaps work-from-home is the way to go - provided that it won't become 24x7.

Bilbo said...

As one of those insane commuters, I can tell you that the economic and social costs of commuting are indeed huge. I have a job which doesn't allow me to work from home ("telecommute"); and each day it takes me about 50 minutes door-to-door...which in Washington, DC is a very short commute. Many people choose a very long commute so they can live far enough outside the city to afford a nice house...then they pay with less time to enjoy the house and their family. It's a serious problem.