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U.S. Commutes: The Way We Get To Work

NPR explores efforts to solve commuting challenges nationwide.
It takes Chicago resident Sarah Hairston two hours to go 15 miles to get to her part-time job.

It takes Chicago resident Sarah Hairston two hours to go 15 miles to get to her part-time job. David Schaper/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David Schaper/NPR

Epic Commutes Face Those Caught In Public Transit Puzzle

You think your commute is bad? How about a two-hour trek to go a mere 15 miles? That's what one Chicago resident faces as she catches trains and buses to get to her part-time job. Commuting can be especially difficult for people who can't afford a car but live far from their jobs.

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Neville Amaria's commute to work used to take up to 1.5 hours each way. He carpooled with colleagues including Stefanie McNally, Cristina Cooper and Bryan Kim. The gang passed the time by sleeping and snapping photos of unlucky commuters.

Neville Amaria's commute to work used to take up to 1.5 hours each way. He carpooled with colleagues including Stefanie McNally, Cristina Cooper and Bryan Kim. The gang passed the time by sleeping and snapping photos of unlucky commuters. Courtesy of Cristina Cooper hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Cristina Cooper

'You Just Get Used To It': An LA Commuter's Diary

About 10 percent of working Americans carpool to work. For two years, Neville Amaria was one of them. He spent two to three hours a day in the car with as many as four co-workers squeezed in alongside him. Now his office has moved closer to home. Here's an audio diary from the last morning of his carpool.

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There were 1.5 million boardings on the Emery Go Round last year. Zikhona Tetana, a visiting scientist from South Africa, is taking the Emery Go Round to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory facility in Emeryville. "It's convenient and always on time," she says.

There were 1.5 million boardings on the Emery Go Round last year. Zikhona Tetana, a visiting scientist from South Africa, is taking the Emery Go Round to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory facility in Emeryville. "It's convenient and always on time," she says. Cindy Carpien/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Cindy Carpien/NPR

How A Free Bus Shuttle Helped Make A Small Town Take Off

Emery Go Round is a free shuttle, provided by businesses in Emeryville, Calif. Not only did the popular shuttle help solve one of the most annoying problems for transportation planners known as the last mile, it helped the city reinvent itself as a home to headquarters for Pixar, Jamba Juice and Peet's Coffee.

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Stephen Linaweaver has been kayaking from Oakland, Calif., to work in San Francisco for four years.

Stephen Linaweaver has been kayaking from Oakland, Calif., to work in San Francisco for four years. Courtesy of Dan Suyeyasu hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Dan Suyeyasu

Forget The Car Keys — This Commute Requires A Paddle KALW-FM

Rather than traffic jams, kayak commuter Stephen Linaweaver has to look out for container ships. Every day, he paddles in his blue boat from the Port of Oakland to his job in San Francisco. His route may not be shorter than yours — but yours probably doesn't include harbor seals.

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Construction of the Atlanta streetcar line has hurt many businesses along the route, but there is hope that economic gains will increase once the line opens next spring.

Construction of the Atlanta streetcar line has hurt many businesses along the route, but there is hope that economic gains will increase once the line opens next spring. Kathy Lohr/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Kathy Lohr/NPR

To Get Around Town, Some Cities Take A Step Back In Time

In 2001, Portland, Ore., was the first to develop a new kind of streetcar system. Success there led to a resurgence, with at least two dozen cities planning, building or expanding trolley lines — places like Atlanta; St. Louis, Mo.; and Tucson, Ariz. But some wonder whether it's the best way to spend limited transit dollars.

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Orangutans can get exercise and look down their noses at zoo visitors, thanks to cables that stretch from one side of the primate habitat to the other.

Orangutans can get exercise and look down their noses at zoo visitors, thanks to cables that stretch from one side of the primate habitat to the other. Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

For A New Kind Of Commute, Some Eye The Sky

If you commute to work, chances are you travel on roads or rails. A designer in Austin, Texas, wonders, "Why not up in the air?" In a nod to orangutans at the National Zoo who get around on wires 50 feet above the ground, designers see the potential for aerial mass transit.

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Reverse commuters, include Kathy LeVeque (in the foreground), wait for an approaching outbound Metra commuter train at the Mayfair neighborhood stop on Chicago's northwest side.

Reverse commuters, include Kathy LeVeque (in the foreground), wait for an approaching outbound Metra commuter train at the Mayfair neighborhood stop on Chicago's northwest side. David Schaper/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David Schaper/NPR

Reverse Commutes Now Often A Daily Slog, Too

In many places, the reverse commute from city homes to suburban jobs is as congested as or worse than traffic going into the city. "It's just exhausting," says one reverse commuter, whose 35-mile drive to Chicago's southwest suburbs can take up to two hours depending on traffic. In cities where reverse commutes are common, transit agencies are trying to help.

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Commuters headed to Oregon Health and Science University use cars, bikes and streetcars to connect with Portland's aerial tram, which whisks them up and over south waterfront neighborhoods.

Commuters headed to Oregon Health and Science University use cars, bikes and streetcars to connect with Portland's aerial tram, which whisks them up and over south waterfront neighborhoods. David P. Gilkey/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David P. Gilkey/NPR

How To Solve A Sky-High Commuting Conundrum

In Portland, Ore., doctors and patients get to the Oregon Health and Science University not by a twisty, two-lane road up Marquam Hill, but by a gleaming silver gondola. The aerial tram has cut the commute from up to 45 minutes to a three-minute ride in the sky.

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Becca Bullard commutes every day from Arlington, Va., via Metro's Virginia Square station to her work in downtown Washington, D.C. Her commute to work begins around 9 a.m. (left), and she arrives home around 6:30 p.m. (right).

Becca Bullard commutes every day from Arlington, Va., via Metro's Virginia Square station to her work in downtown Washington, D.C. Her commute to work begins around 9 a.m. (left), and she arrives home around 6:30 p.m. (right). Courtesy of Becca Bullard hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Becca Bullard

How One D.C. Suburb Set A Gold Standard For Commuting

A risky, expensive decision by local planners in the 1960s transformed Arlington, Va. — where everyone drove — to a place where people live, walk, bike, eat, play and commute, all without ever getting behind the wheel.

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