California Commute Time: Extreme Commutes On The Rise In Southern California

Story comes courtesy of California Watch.

By Agustin Armendariz

Of the 15 million Californians who commute to work, 2.7 million spend at least 45 minutes getting to their jobs, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

The latest estimates come from the 2005-09 American Community Survey, which has half of commuters clustered in the 5- to-24-minute range.

On the high end, more than 470,000 commuters spend 90 minutes or more getting to work, with the biggest concentrations being in Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

The commute time "includes time spent waiting for public transportation, picking up passengers in carpools, and time spent in other activities related to getting to work," according to the Census Bureau.

A recent Wall Street Journal article found that extreme commutes are on the rise in parts of Southern California:

"It used to be when you looked at Census data and saw that someone lived in Los Angeles and worked in San Francisco, you assumed it was a mistake," Alan Pisarski, author of (the study) Commuting in America, told the Wall Street Journal. "These days, you cannot be sure."

Agustin Armendariz is an investigative reporter for California Watch, a project of the non-profit Center for Investigative reporting. Find more California Watch stories here.

Comments

[TomHunter]

07:13 PM on 09/09/2011

Until July, I lived in NYC and a 90 minute commute from lower Manhattan to the Southern tip of Brooklyn was routine. My boss didn't want his kids to live in the city and he had a daily--each way--2 hour commute. 90 minutes is nothing.

[Madbunny]

12:06 PM on 09/09/2011

I work in the SF Valley, no freeway time at all, and a distance of only about 10-12 miles. Takes me 20 to 30 minutes. In all honesty I'd prefer to ride my bike, but the traffic is unsafe and there are no bike lanes. The nearest is the Orange Line, but getting there is a few miles out of my way. Adding 9 miles to my ride is not insignificant, no to mention the whole 'no bike lanes' just getting there.

[turnleft4progress]

04:08 AM on 09/07/2011

Long commutes are all by choice. My commute is 8 1/2 miles, and I commute by bike several days a week.

[whowhatwhywherewhen]

10:01 AM on 09/07/2011

mmmm, disagree.

[turnleft4progress]

05:25 PM on 09/07/2011

You may dissagree, but it's a fact long commutes are by choice. I'm not judging anyone here. We all make choices. S. California culture dictates you live in the largest house you can afford with rooms you're never going to use, and you're never home to enjoy. It's keeping of with the Jones'. I on the other hand don't feel compelled to keep. I live in a small house near work and play.

[fridakahlofan]

05:45 PM on 09/08/2011

What planet do you live on? Long commutes are by necessity, where there are jobs, now with so many jobs that have been eliminated and transferred to Asia, a job is a difficult thing to fine and many people have jobs that require them to commute, I know people who commute long distances, it's hard to "ride your bike' when you commute is 80 miles to get to your job.
Show some consideration toward others that have these long commutes.

[nomoredead]

11:00 PM on 09/06/2011

It doesn't mention the cost of $300 to $500 per month in gas some of these people spend.

[1blujay]

06:48 PM on 09/06/2011

2 hours a day on the freeway adds up. That is 10 hours a week and lets say 50 weeks instead of 52 so that is 500 hours. 500 hours works out to about ... 20.8 - 24 hour days per year. Do that for 18 years, and you'll have spent about one year one the freeway.

So In 18 years, You will have spent one year of that on the freeway. That's 19 years!

j/k

[SocialD7]

06:26 AM on 09/10/2011

Don't forget the wear and tear on your car, the miles add up fast, next thing you know it's time for a new one.

[dansup]

05:23 PM on 09/06/2011

Many times this decision is based on "affordable housing" - the result is more smog, congestion, lifetime spent on windshield time, worn out road and cars, too much spent on gas - It surprises me that so many decide it's worth it to save a few hundred dollars a month if that when all is said and done.

[LonosCurse]

05:00 PM on 09/06/2011

My commute is 2 hours 50 minutes

[SarcasticFringehead]

05:13 PM on 09/06/2011

Oh, man.

Judging by the reply you gave me earlier, you've got the right attitude for dealing with that long commute.

Good for you.

Hunter S. Thompson was great. I'd love to have read what he would have made of the Republicans running for president now. It would have been a hoot.

[LonosCurse]

05:24 PM on 09/06/2011

You've got me thinking, I should get my job and follow the Rick Perry campaign; but then what will I do after New Hampshire?

[Sandra Stipp]

04:40 PM on 09/06/2011

All I can say is that I'm very thankful I bought my house 34 yrs. ago in Mission Viejo and I work only 6 miles from home......all side streets. However, there was a time I worked in Fullerton BEFORE they widened the 5 & 405. Talk about sitting in traffic for hours....it was a killer. I do feel sorry for all those people who have to take the highways to get to work.

[LonosCurse]

05:00 PM on 09/06/2011

I am so jealous.

[jvegasjim]

02:44 PM on 09/06/2011

A lot of people out in Los Angeles got hit with a double whammy they bought way out in Palmdale, Lancaster, San Bernadino and Riverside during the housing boom and overpaid on their homes and are upside down big time...plus now they also have time to think about it sitting in traffic for a couple of hours a day watching the American dream turn into a nightmare while all their home equity disappears

[lotus321]

02:55 PM on 09/06/2011

That did happen. I live in Lancaster, but I just bought in 2010 and it was a fantastic deal. It only take me 45 minutes to get to work in the AM and about 1:15 to get home. I get to have my house, garden, chickens, fruit trees. etc. I will sit in traffic for that gladly...........

[jvegasjim]

03:19 PM on 09/06/2011

Lotus

That's great i was mostly referring to the people that bought at the peak...a lot of them are hurting. There's a lot of good deals out there right now for people that are able to take advantage of them

[SarcasticFringehead]

01:27 PM on 09/06/2011

Every single day, I see aggressive and pis sed off drivers here in Los Angeles.

They will risk your life and theirs in order to get to their destination 5 minutes earlier than if they had driven like a sane person.

The frustration level from long commutes and stalled traffic has hit a boiling point for some people. They can be kind people at home, but behind the wheel they become monsters full of pent up anger and resentment.

And the SUV drivers seem to be the worst of all. They think they are invulnerable in their giant gas hogs.

[Js420]

02:47 PM on 09/06/2011

Maybe you're one of those people too.

[SarcasticFringehead]

03:13 PM on 09/06/2011

Ha!

I don't want to be one of those people.

[LonosCurse]

05:04 PM on 09/06/2011

I took a safe driving course to get an insurance discount and just for the heck of it I applied their rules, right lane, below or at the speed limit. I didn't lose much time at all.