For many city workers, the daily journey to and from the office now takes up a significant part of the day. This situation harms both individuals and society, but it can be eased through changes to working practices and better urban planning.
Long commutes create problems for people's health and family life. A worker who spends two or three hours a day in traffic or on crowded trains has less time to exercise, cook proper meals or rest, and this gradually leads to tiredness and stress. Parents may leave home before their children wake up and return after they have gone to bed, which reduces the time they can spend together. On a wider scale, heavy commuter traffic adds to air pollution and congestion, and employees who arrive exhausted are often less productive.
Several measures could reduce this burden. First, employers could allow staff to work from home for part of the week or to choose flexible hours. Even two days at home would remove a large share of a worker's weekly travel, while staggered start times would spread passengers more evenly across the rush hour. Secondly, local authorities could invest in faster and more frequent public transport, such as express bus lanes and suburban rail links, so that taking the train becomes quicker than driving. Finally, in the longer term, planners should encourage mixed neighbourhoods where offices, shops and affordable housing are built close together. When people can live near their workplace, many journeys can be made on foot or by bicycle.
These solutions work best in combination. Flexible working offers immediate relief, whereas improvements to transport and housing take years but bring lasting change.
In conclusion, lengthy commutes damage well-being, family relationships and the urban environment. A combination of flexible working, improved public transport and smarter city planning would allow people to spend less time travelling and more time living.