
I spent two hours in traffic this morning on my way to a business meeting. While the view was at times beautiful, with the sun coming up over the hills that are lightly covered in green, I have no idea how people do this daily without going mad or having their muscles permanently cramped. I had to shake out my hands and arms to stop them from going numb and was as stiff as a mummy when I got to my destination.
Now, I realize that I’m spoiled. I have a ten-minute commute on city streets with moderate traffic. One of my coworkers is consistently late to work because of traffic and likes to send me photos of the highway-turned-parking-lot. Worse, I know that a growing number of people commute more than two hours each way to their jobs.
What today’s trip had me thinking about is why we as a species allowed such horrific traffic congestion to become an acceptable cost for employment. I would love to go back in time to find out what people said about traffic throughout the years. Were there points in history at which, if different choices had been made, today’s traffic could have been reduced or avoided altogether?
Where’s my time machine so I can investigate?
In the meantime, I’m looking for work outside of California in regions that unfortunately don’t have a solid public transportation system. I’m trying to work out how much of a daily commute I can tolerate without my bad back flaring up.
Wish me luck!
What's your commute like? Let me know in the comments below.
Until next week, may all your roads be congestion free!