America's Best And Worst Commutes (CHART)

Think your commute is bad? How about wasting 53 hours in traffic and blowing $400 per year just to sit in gridlock?

Dallas was the worst city in America for commuters in a new ranking issued by the consumer data site Bundle and The Street. Basing much of their rankings off of information from the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the Bundle/The Street rankings accounted for both time wasted and money spent in traffic.

Disturbingly, America's grand total of time wasted in traffic was 4.2 billion hours, or approximately one full workweek each year for every traveler. Among the worst offenders are San Jose, Calif.; Houston; Miami and even smaller cities like Bridgeport, Conn.

If you're a fan of relatively painless commutes, smaller cities are certainly the way to go, per this ranking. The top commutes include those found in Boulder, Colo; Anchorage, Alaska; Akron, Ohio; and Buffalo, New York.

Check out Bundle/The Street's infograhic below -- and visit Bundle for more information.


(For a larger image click here.)

(For larger image, click here.)

Comments

[uniquindividual]

10:08 AM on 01/02/2011

When it comes to the "Best" or "Worst". it seems that where you sit on the road makes a difference. Even when traffic is bad, this commute is bearable.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&biw=1341&bih=516&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=golden+gate+bridge+approach&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[MrBadExample]

08:01 PM on 12/31/2010

The chart is horse-puckey. Average cost for a car plus gas in NY is at least $700--auto insurance in the city is a bleeding fortune if you have collision fire & theft. If you're going into town, you need to pay for a garage, and that's also expensive.

This is not to rant about NY's special costs--it's to point out that the cost of maintaining and insuring a car seems profoundly out of kilter with the charted prices. Just saying.

[BubbaNH]

11:39 AM on 12/30/2010

I used to live in SF...had to walk three blocks from home
to the end of the California St cable car line,
rode it to the end to my work at 101 Cal...
best commute ever, imho...

[RobinSeattle]

01:01 AM on 01/02/2011

Yeah, that's like when I was living in Tokyo. Five minute walk to the train station, get off two stops down and one minute stroll to the office. A beautiful thing.

[FreedomCorpse]

11:22 AM on 12/30/2010

40 years of neglect and lack of vision (or corruption/conflict of interest) by government has created this issue. Its sooo much more profitable for politicians to fork massive amounts of taxpayer cash into the MIC and invest their personal cash into the stocks of those companies and make fortunes on their legislative actions than invest taxpayer cash into the highly distributed and decentralized need for a reasonable and advanced transportation infrastructure reducing oil dependence and making it cheaper, efficient and quicker for the population to get around.

[17andlife]

11:00 AM on 12/30/2010

I don't think Houston traffic is that bad. I lived in Austin for many years. Their traffic is worse. 2 1/2 hrs to drive 21 miles - one way.
At least in Houston, the traffic flows. Not like sitting there for 30 mins waiting.

But, then again, I live near the freeway and am only about 10 mins from work.

[Aerows]

12:01 PM on 12/30/2010

I lived in Houston, too, and when it is bad, it's BAD.  10 lanes of traffic and nothing moving for an hour is bad any way you look at it.

[DarthCalvin]

02:17 PM on 12/30/2010

I live in Austin...we have a loop (mopac) that doesn't loop anywhere....

[Opinionated Lady]

10:01 AM on 12/30/2010

Telework, for those whose jobs can accommodate it, is a boon to workerkind. Best idea ever - no commute at all, saves the environment, saves wear and tear on the human and the auto, reduces overcrowding on public transportation, etc.

[Josh Sawislak]

07:52 PM on 01/03/2011

Amen. I have some columns on the subject in this space. Not sure if my name links to them or just search on my last name and it should get you there.

[temptxan]

09:25 AM on 12/30/2010

Dallas traffic sucks. And we pay for the privilege to sit in traffic jams. Toll roads abound, public transportation, not so much, although it is slowly, and I mean slowly, getting better.

[poaster]

09:05 AM on 12/30/2010

Right now its just getting out of your neighborhood in Queens.

[2plus2equals5]

08:54 AM on 12/30/2010

I live in Boston which can be pretty bad some days. Rte 95 South leaving Metro North at 5PM
can cause headaches. But one day I got a taste of trying to leave NYC during rush hour and
I mean WOW!! you will never see anything like it. It was simply awful.

[signgrrl]

12:03 PM on 01/01/2011

yes, it is quite the experience . . . .

[FreedToChoose]

08:32 AM on 12/30/2010

The world's best commute is personal, of course. For me, it's bedroom to home office via coffee pot. Elapsed time? About thirty seconds.

[OuterBanx North12]

08:43 AM on 12/30/2010

OK, you win this round, FreedToChoose! Sitting there conducting business calls in your pajamas, not having to deal with 85-year-old drivers on their way to doctor appoitments in the middle of rush hour...curses!

[IreneNH]

10:13 AM on 01/02/2011

I'd much rather deal with 85 year old drivers than the aggressive, tail-gating, road-rage-ready younger generation.

[DarthCalvin]

02:18 PM on 12/30/2010

I have to detour to the coffee pot...its not on the way, so I guess you do win. =)

[OuterBanx North12]

08:32 AM on 12/30/2010

A mass exodus of a large percentage of the population can help improve commuter times, i.e. Buffalo.

[nacakis1]

10:22 AM on 12/30/2010

Or why must we all work around the same time. Everybody and their momma must not all work from 9 to 5.

[AfricanLivedit]

08:05 AM on 12/30/2010

Northern VA resident- thank the good Lord Jesus that we have metro access! Traffic is HORRIBLE in NoVA!

[Opinionated Lady]

10:05 AM on 12/30/2010

Sorry, I hate Metro - claustrophobic and averse to being pushed into a car by the guy behind me, or standing cheek to jowl with strangers. Give me slugging or the PRTC commuter busses any day. PWC (unlike richer counties in the DC area) has both and they work very well. Now, if the State and Feds will stop trying to sell the HOV to the private sector all would be well...

[drbslurp]

12:45 PM on 12/30/2010

90% of the folks in NOVA don't know how to drive, and 50% of those don't speak English. My fiancee and most of our friends are in NOVA.

After many many hours there I have learned:
Only out of towners stop at 4 way stop signs.
VA does not require a driving test to get a license (eek!?!)
People put on a turn signal and change lanes, checking for traffic is not part of the process.
VADOT does not plow - period. The roads will be clear and dry once you hit the MD line.
VADOT says it's because people get in the way of plows. In MD if you get in the way of a plow they will run you down and our Governor will tell you in advance that it's your own fault.

[KIVPossum]

07:43 AM on 12/30/2010

My commute's not too bad; 250 meters across a lovely park

[Imzadi]

07:45 AM on 12/30/2010

I'm so envious...
;-)

[MSROADKILL612]

07:38 AM on 12/30/2010

I have a friend who travels a lot for his business, but he doesnt catch cabs. He takes his bike on the plane.

A guy I met treats himself on fridays. He paddles to work from Manly to Nth Sydney (the other end of the harbour bridge) on a surf ski/kayak thing - about 10 miles.

At one of the High Schools around Bayview, many of the kids arrive by boat.

Ferries are a nice commute also.

[joyf1]

09:10 AM on 12/30/2010

Not if the ferry takes over an hour to get to the mainland! But, there are a number of people where I live that do just that, daily!

[Imzadi]

07:33 AM on 12/30/2010

I live in the Twin Cities - land of 10,000 lakes (oh yeah, and a number of rivers), so the only roads available either circumvent the lakes or go over the rivers. That severly limits choices for the Rush Hour commute, which are slow, laborious, and aggravating. Oh, and if there is ANY precipitation, double the time to get anywhere!

:-(