You could get to work faster if your city spent more on subways, rail, and bus lines, and you'd never have to leave your car, said Andy Boenau of Fast Company.
Data from 2024 shows that gridlock ate up about 40 hours of the typical American's year. All that time wasted on congested roads costs the country roughly $269 billion, up 16% in half a decade. Drivers reported 80% more stress and 52% more aggression tied to their commutes.
Roads don't need a massive overhaul to start moving faster. Pulling somewhere between 5% and 10% of vehicles off a packed highway makes a noticeable difference in how quickly you get where you're going.
Traffic engineers figured this out decades ago using a 1960s-era planning formula. When a busy city street carries 90% of its maximum vehicle load, any delays are only about 10% worse than an empty road. Drop the car count by 5%, and those delays fall by around 18%. Thin it out by 10%, and the improvement jumps to about 35%.
That's where public transit fits in. Forty or 50 people can ride a single bus, and each of those riders is someone who left their car at home. Rail can absorb even more commuters per trip. So when your city adds a new line or route, it opens up room on the road for people who prefer to drive.
Fewer vehicles sitting idle in stop-and-go traffic means cleaner air in your neighborhood, too. Transportation is one of the top sources of air pollution in the U.S., and smoother traffic flow means less exhaust for everyone breathing nearby.
"I have never understood why drivers are so opposed to driving alternatives for this very reason: better commutes for everyone," posted X user Helvetica (@jones_amgwagon) in response to Boenau's sentiments.
If you want to back better transit options where you live, contact your city council or local transportation board and share your support.
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