Study's conclusions could push telecommuting

Advent of 'extreme commuting' may lift popularity of telework.

Despite the growing popularity of telecommuting, regular commuting continues to grow, with a new class of worker - the extreme commuter - traveling more than 90 minutes to get to work.

Concentrated in sprawling urban centers, these people may drive to work or they may take public transportation, a factor that could help determine their extreme status, according to "Commuting in America III," a study written by the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

Commuters who take public trains and buses wind up with trips to work that take twice as long as it takes someone who drives, the study says.

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Despite the growing popularity of telecommuting, regular commuting continues to grow, with a new class of worker - the extreme commuter - traveling more than 90 minutes to get to work.

Concentrated in sprawling urban centers, these people may drive to work or they may take public transportation, a factor that could help determine their extreme status, according to "Commuting in America III," a study written by the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

Commuters who take public trains and buses wind up with trips to work that take twice as long as it takes someone who drives, the study says.

The average time it takes to get to work has been accelerating, TRB says. In 1980, the average travel time nationwide was 21.7 minutes. That grew to 22.4 minutes in 1990, but shot to 25.5 in 2000. These averages were driven up by the large number of commuters in New York, where more than 10% of commuters traveled for an hour or more to work.

Other states with more than 10% of commuters traveling an hour or more to work are New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois. California just missed this percentage.

Meanwhile, the ranks of telecommuters have risen dramatically since 1990, according to the Telework Coalition. In 1990, about 4 million people telecommuted at least once per year. That number has grown to about 45 million today, says Chuck Wilsker, president and CEO of the Telework Coalition.