You think your city is bad when it comes to traffic jams? Be glad if you don’t live in the Metro area. DC has been ranked #1 when it comes to the worst city for commuters.
The silver lining is that this increase in traffic has to do with the fact that Washington actually has a relatively stable and growing economy when compared to other major cities in the nation. So, good news for businesses, bad news for drivers.
Here are some rather unpleasant stats:
74: average amount of hours a commuter is stuck in traffic each year
37: gallons of fuel burned yearly
$1,495: average cost at the pump and loss in wages per year
34: national annual average in hours for a commuter in other parts of the nation
Those figures are not pretty. Speculations by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments suggest that unless some kind of investment is made in the highway transit system, this region will be unable to accommodate any more growth. In the next 20 years, the DC area is projected to increase by a staggering 1.2 million newcomers, enticed by an estimated 874,000 new jobs.
No one wants to spend unnecessary hours in the car, fighting traffic and dealing with the stresses of bad drivers on the road.
Telework may be the solution you're looking for. Whether you choose alternative workspaces or alternative working hours, the benefits gleaned from telework don’t just stop at not sitting in traffic and wasting precious time. You will also be more productive at work, less stressed out at home, and more than likely exhibit more job satisfaction. Since most companies are following the modern trend of implementing a workplace on demand program into their business plan, the chances are rather good that your days of sitting in traffic are numbered.