But plenty of people in metro areas still spend the equivalent of days each year sitting in their vehicles. While Dallas-Fort Worth didn’t end up in CoPilot’s top 15 metro areas for the most time spent in rush-hour traffic, drivers in the area still spend more time commuting than the average American. CoPilot reviewed the latest data from TomTom’s Traffic Index and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey to create its report.
According to the study, rush-hour traffic adds more than 14 minutes to the average American’s daily commute. That comes out to more than 60 hours a year. In North Texas, commuters spent an extra 17 minutes in traffic because of rush hour, adding up to about 71 hours a year. That’s nothing compared to the New York metro area, No. 1 on CoPilot’s list. Drivers there spend an extra half hour on the road every day because of traffic, 132 hours annually.
Before the pandemic, the number of people working from home increased gradually year over year. In 2010, only 4.3% of U.S. workers were doing their jobs from home. In 2019, that number had risen to 5.7%. By 2021 though, the number of people working from home had more than tripled to about 17.9%. Fewer people were commuting to work, resulting in less-crowded roads. But that didn't make commutes easier all the time, according to the study.
"Despite these improvements, workers in certain locations continue to face crippling traffic delays during certain times of the day," CoPilot wrote in its report.
There are still plenty of people working on site, and a vast majority of them get to work by car. About 66% of these workers drive to their job alone, while some 7.8% carpool. Most employees, 76%, use private transportation to get to work. Fewer than 3% use public transportation, and another 6.5% get to work through other means, like walking, riding a bike or taking a taxi. Among all U.S. commuters, not just those heading to and from work, 92% use private transportation.In North Texas, commuters spent an extra 17 minutes in traffic because of rush hour, adding up to about 71 hours a year, according to a new study form CoPilot.
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There have been efforts in North Texas in recent years to help clear the roads during peak hours.
In June 2021, the Regional Transportation Council adopted a resolution to decrease the number of employees driving alone on the road during rush hour by 20% every year. The council is part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which includes 16 counties in the region. The resolution encourages public and private employers to decrease their workers’ solo commutes.
As part of the resolution, public employers can get extra funding from the North Central Texas Council of Governments for trip reductions. However, the council can’t offer any incentives to the private sector to do the same.
While the goal of the resolution is to clear the roads during peak hours, doing so could also improve air quality by reducing vehicle emissions. The council is supposed to give an update on the resolution’s progress every year. However, it appears there’s been hasn't been one since the resolution was passed in 2021.
