How to Benefit From Commute Management

Every year, Americans waste millions of hours stuck in traffic commutes to and from work. As more cars clog the roads and more traffic lights go up at busy intersections, it seems that we're destined to spend time in gridlock. A new approach called "commute management" offers an alternative that can trim your driving time and ease your stress.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Map out your route. Even if you think you know your city well, studying the roads is the first step in commute management.

2. Select the best route. Freeways have higher speed limits, but a slower road that goes straight from your neighborhood to your office may cut miles and minutes off the commute.

3. Plan on avoiding neighborhoods or shopping and business districts where the roads aren't designed for through traffic. Commute management also recommends staying on major roads because traffic lights give more green time to cars on those roads and less to cars on side streets.

4. Stay informed. Check your daily paper or city government website for news of roadwork along your route. Listen to local radio for news of any traffic accidents or problems that affect you.

5. Prepare for accidents by knowing a backup route. If you don't know one, keep a map or a GIS mapping device handy in the car for emergency commute management.

Tips & Warnings

• Commute management isn't just about planning your route. It also includes alternatives such as carpooling, or leaving for work at a different hour when traffic is less.
• Stay in the left lane of a two-lane road to avoid cars turning right, unless the road you're on has no left-turn median cuts. On a three-lane road, the middle lane, with no turning vehicles, is your best bet.
• You can detour around congestion from an accident, but if it's "recurrent" congestion that happens every day at a particular intersection, everyone else knows to avoid it. As a result, they may take the same short cuts you do.

Resources

• Former traffic reporter Dan Rizzo discusses commute management