Quote:
Originally Posted by miketoronto
But the thing is, commutes are not that long on average.
The pro-car people actually use those stats to show that cars have decreased the time people spend commuting.
We all know the average transit rider spends much more time to get to work, yet we don't complain about that.
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Despite whether you think commutes are "not that long," average commute times in the US have gone up over time and each census reports an increase in the over 100 minute commute club. I don't think it has as much to do with planning or mode share is it is cultural factors:
Two-income families have to live between two different places of employment. Back in the day you bought a house near dad's workplace and mom only had to worry about running errands. Today families have to balance the needs of two wage-earners.
Careers today are more highly specialized. It used to be easy for a typical laborer to find work in "the mill" or "the factory" down the block. Today we're more likely to have highly specific expectations about work, and because information is so much more readily available, we scour an entire metro area looking for a better job.
And most importantly I think, like the sociologist said, commuting a longer distance has become socially-acceptable and even preferable. People
want to distance themselves from their job. The idea of walking to work, once pretty common, is now considered gauche for most Americans. Whereas it used to be desirable to be convenient to work, it's now seen as a grim reminder of your stressful career.
And no, I don't "complain" about people spending ungodly amounts of time on transit to get to work because I think they can do what they want. Tokyo's got an amazing transit system and it's common for people to spend an hour on a bullet train. But I never want such a long commute. The only nice thing about the train is that I can read the paper on my way. Otherwise, an hour train ride is just as unbearable for me.