The noon-to-4 is the new 9-to-5 for driving commuters, but it's not helping traffic congestion

Sat, 07/27/2024 - 05:37

Photo collage featuring a side-by-side aerial view of heavy traffic patterns and a clock showing 4:30 — Traffic congestion has been transformed by Americans' embrace of remote and hybrid work schedules since the pandemic.
Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI

Traffic patterns have shifted since the pandemic.
US drivers are taking 23% more car trips in the middle of the day than they did in 2019.
For commuters, the typical nine-to-five workday has been replaced by a more fluid schedule.

After roads went eerily quiet during the early months of the pandemic, traffic is back with a vengeance. Traffic congestion is as bad as it was pre-pandemic in about half of the world's top urban areas, but traffic patterns have shifted, according to a new report by INRIX, a transportation data and analytics company.