By Andrew Merle, Huffpost, Sep 11, 2017
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-ideal-work-commute-will-make-you-happier-and-healthier_b_59b6ca67e4b0bb893fffffd9
“Americans spend more than 100 hours per year commuting to work, which is more than the two weeks of vacation (80 hours) that most workers take annually.
People have an average one-way drive time of about 25.5 minutes in the U.S., and more than 600,000 American workers have ‘megacommutes’ of at least 90 minutes.
Just think about all of the unpaid hours workers are spending getting to and from their workplace (not to mention the generally unproductive use of that time).
To make matters worse, research has shown that there is a direct link between commute time and well-being — People with the longest commutes have the lowest overall satisfaction with life.
Driving is by far the most stressful way to commute, but unfortunately also the most common. People who take public transit (5.2%), walk (2.8%), or bike to work (0.6%) still make up a very small percentage of total workers.
More people should choose one of these ‘active’ modes of commuting to increase health and happiness.
Even those who take public transportation report that the most enjoyable part of their commute is the walk to and from the train or bus. Studies show that an active commute may be as important to well-being as marriage or a pay raise.
Boiling it all down, the very best commute you can have is a 15-minute walk each way.”
