Recent data shows a change in American commuting habits. Instead of traveling only during traditional peak hours, traffic is now more evenly spread throughout the day.

最新數據顯示，美國人的通勤習慣有所改變。交通不再僅集中在傳統的高峰時段，而是在全天分佈得更加平均。

The modern job market has seen some companies move away from fully remote work, but many employees still prefer flexible schedules. Consequently, the traditional 'off-peak' time has almost disappeared. Because workers use flexible start and end times to manage personal tasks, traffic has increased during the middle of the day and on weekends. For example, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute reported that 5% of weekday delays have shifted to the period between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., with the heaviest traffic occurring between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

現代就業市場中，部分公司已不再採取全面遠端工作，但許多員工仍偏好靈活的排班制度。因此，傳統的「非尖峰」時段幾乎已消失。由於員工利用靈活的上下班時間來處理個人事務，導致中午及週末的交通量增加。例如，德州 A&M 運輸研究所報告指出，平日 5% 的延遲已轉移至上午 10 點至下午 3 點之間，而交通最擁堵的時段則發生在下午 1 點至 2 點之間。

Furthermore, there is a noticeable increase in the distance between where people live and where they work. Research from Stanford suggests that during the pandemic, many employees moved further away from city centers. This happened partly because people needed to find affordable new homes in outer-suburban areas, such as Stockton, California, and Greeley, Colorado. As a result, the percentage of workers with commutes of one hour or more rose from 7.7% in 2021 to 9.3% in 2024, bringing the national average commute time to 27.2 minutes.

此外，人們居住地與工作地點之間的距離有明顯增加。史丹佛大學的研究建議，在疫情期間，許多員工搬離了市中心。部分原因是人們需要在郊區尋找負擔得起的新住宅，例如加州的 Stockton 和科羅拉多州的 Greeley。結果，通勤時間一小時或以上的員工比例從 2021 年的 7.7% 增加到 2024 年的 9.3%，使全國平均通勤時間達到 27.2 分鐘。

To solve these problems, urban planning experts have suggested using dynamic highway pricing. Unlike fixed fees, this system would change toll prices in real-time to keep traffic moving smoothly, which would encourage drivers to travel at different times. While this method could make travel times more predictable and raise money for roads, critics emphasize that it could unfairly affect shift workers who cannot change their schedules to avoid expensive peak periods.

為了縮小這些問題，城市規劃專家建議採用動態高速公路定價。與固定費用不同，該系統將即時調整通行費以保持交通順暢，從而鼓勵駕駛者在不同時間出行。雖然此方法能讓通勤時間更具預測性並為道路籌措資金，但批評者強調，這可能會對無法調整時間表以避開高昂尖峰時段的輪班工人造成不公平的影響。

The United States is currently facing constant traffic congestion caused by longer travel distances and the end of standard working hours.

美國目前正視面著由通勤距離增加以及標準工作時間結束所導致的持續交通擁堵。