Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Commuting

Study: For Americans With Lower Incomes, Long Commutes Sap Will to Vote

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 21, 2013 | 1 Comment

For decades, researchers going back to Robert Putnam have drawn connections between total leisure time and individuals’ level of political and community involvement. New findings published in American Politics Research say the amount of time spent commuting is especially important in determining whether Americans vote, take part in political campaigns, and otherwise engage in politics. […]

Streetsblog’s Brand-New Podcast: Episode 1

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 4, 2013 | 14 Comments

Behold, Streetsblog’s brand-new podcast! In what we aim to turn into a recurring feature, Reconnecting America’s Jeff Wood and I recently chatted about the week’s news in livable streets, urbanism, and sustainable transportation. The topics are drawn from Jeff’s excellent daily compendium of transportation and planning links, The Direct Transfer, and from stories we’re tracking […]

Commuting Tips for the Incrementalist: Small Changes, Big Savings

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 18, 2013 | 2 Comments

Rob Perks couldn’t understand why his friend, Megan, drove to work every day instead of taking public transportation. She said driving was cheaper and more convenient, but Perks had almost an identical commute and he was pretty confident he was saving a lot by taking transit. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation of all Megan’s driving costs […]

Millennials Will Drive More As They Age, But Still Less Than Their Parents

By Tanya Snyder | May 14, 2013 | 20 Comments

At some point over the past few years, a lot of my friends started moving to Silver Spring and Takoma Park and Falls Church. These inner-ring, transit-connected suburbs of DC are still far less compact and walkable than the neighborhoods my friends moved from. So they bought cars. Why did they do this? They’re entering […]

Commuter Idyll Winner Jake Williams Tells His Dramatic Story of Salvation

By Tanya Snyder | May 10, 2013 | 17 Comments

When we saw that Washington’s news-traffic-weather radio station, WTOP, was holding a “Commuter Idle” contest for the worst commute in the DC area — and rewarding it with $1,000 in gas money — we couldn’t resist. We went looking for the best “Commuter Idyll” — the trips to work that made people happy, got them fresh […]

Dreamy Routines: Some of Our Readers’ Best “Commuter Idylls”

By Tanya Snyder | May 9, 2013 | 3 Comments

Some of you have some fabulous commutes. Rather than watch the stress-filled minutes and hours tick by stuck in traffic, you go outside, get exercise, and connect with your community. I’ve had the pleasure of reading many of your commuter tales over the last few days, since we launched our Commuter Idyll contest. It’s our […]

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