Raleigh for commuters: We’re only 2nd worst*
Which cities in America are best & worst for commuting? The worst is easy: Atlanta. Best? Buffalo, NY. That’s according to Forbes magazine, which has been studying the subject. Runners-up? Don’t get nervous, Raleigh. Detroit is second-worst, and Salt Lake City is second-best.
Ah, but in the small-city category* — the ones with 500,000 commuters or less — that’s where Raleigh runs a dismal second-worst, exceeded in our misery only by Birmingham, Alabama. Raleigh’s “a victim of its own success,” Forbes says, with fast growth, little or no transit ridership (let alone anyone who walks to work), and an average 35 hours per year lost in traffic jams. Not bad compared to L.A., where 72 hours a year is lost on average; but comparable to such big-city traffic messes as Dallas or Tampa.
The best small-city is Corpus Christi, Texas, where 57 percent of commuters get where they’re going in 20 minutes or less, and time lost to traffic congestion is minimal. In second-best Eugene, Oregon 3 percent of “commuters” walk to their jobs(!), which helps the averages a lot. What kills the averages: lots of residential sprawl, skimpy transit alternatives, jobs spread out everywhere (kills carpooling) and not enough road lanes to carry all the one-rider cars. Hey, we could’ve told ‘em that.