America

Despite carpooling, leaving earlier, time in the car just keeps getting longer

As cities sprawl, commuting in America just keeps getting worse.

The average travel time to work in the U.S. is growing steadily. From 1980 to 1990, it increased 40 seconds, from 21.7 minutes to 22.4 minutes for a one-way trip. In the next decade it increased by about three minutes to 25.5, according to Commuting in America by Alan Pisarski, a 2006 study published by the Transportation Research Board.

Even more worrisome trends are emerging in major urban areas. Back in 1990, only in New York state did more than 10 percent of workers travel over 60 minutes to get to work. By 2000, New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois had acquired the same dubious distinction, and California was coming close. (Length-of-commute measurements include both those in cars and those using public transport, which on average takes longer and which is much more common in places like New York.)

In 2003 the U.S. Census felt it necessary to coin the term