Tag Archives: Office Commute

0 Boston Traffic Got Much Worse in 2013

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commuter traffic in Boston

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Is your commute better or worse than it was 2 years ago?  According to http://www.inrix.com/ Boston leads the charge with the greatest increase.  That combined with the increase purchase order of tractor trailers says that this is a trend that will continue well into the future.

An article on the BBJ, citing traffic data from INRIX, quantifies just how bad Boston’s traffic was in 2013:

“[The Boston metro area’s] congestion index rose 22 percent, the most of any region in the top 10 and the 8th biggest increase of all 100 metro areas. Boston drivers now waste 38 hours a year in traffic, on average. INRIX counts any time spent driving at less than half a roadway’s typical speed as wasted time. Of course, you’ll end up wasting a lot more if you drive on the Southeast Expressway, Boston’s most congested highway based on INRIX’s calculations: A 10-minute drive can turn into 35-minute drive at morning rush hour. (That said, there are plenty of drivers who would tell you they’d be relieved to get through the Expressway in 35 minutes at rush hour.)”

The full article is available on the Boston Business Journal: Boston’s traffic jams.

0 Seaport Traffic Growing

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Summer Street office building in Boston's seaport district

321 Summer Street

This is a citywide problem that is not just plaguing the Seaport. As we know, Boston is an old city with both old and new infrastructure. The solution is changing the habits of our commuting population, do we need our car at work every day? Perhaps the city and or employers can offer incentives to keep our cars at home? In London, there is a toll to enter the city during rush hour and as a result that reduces the number of passenger vehicles on the roadways.

The Boston Globe recently looked at how the growth of the Seaport submarket is playing out on the roadways:

“While the morning commute is tolerable, everyone seems to head out at 5 p.m., creating bumper-to-bumper traffic along the main spine on Seaport Boulevard, spilling out onto Atlantic Avenue, and clogging side roads throughout the area…’All this growth wasn’t supposed to happen until 2025,’ said Mayor Thomas Menino. ‘It’s a wonderful success. Because of the success, we’re having a problem. It’s amazing to me.’”

The complete article is available on the Boston Globe’s website: Seaport District Faces Gridlock