How Employers View Traffic Congestion

Abstract

This paper summarizes a national representative survey of 1,000 employers about the impact of traffic congestion on their business activities. About one third of those surveyed viewed traffic congestion as a moderate or major problem. Most surveyed believed that traffic congestion had increased in the past 5 years. Most employers received or shipped materials regularly, required some workers to drive on the job, and hosted customers. The average employer handled about 28 shipments per week, but large employers often handled several hundred per week. About 12% of shipments were thought to be delayed by local traffic congestion, which cost about $5.3 billion nationally in annual lost time. Some workers drove regularly as part of their jobs; this task amounted to about 23 billion hours nationally in annual transit. About 16% reported congestion delays, which totaled 3.8 billion hours annually and cost about $76 billion, estimates that were similar to those for commuter delay. To reduce these impacts, employers used e-mail, third-party carriers, consolidated shipments, driver assistance, flexibility in work and meeting schedules, and work at home days. Few employers provided transit passes. Access was a key, valued feature of location, and employers deemed it the top advantage of current sites. Only 16% of employers reported that they would consider relocation. However, of those employers that had experienced major congestion problems, 27% had considered relocation, and so had 75% of smaller employers whose workers drove extensively on the job. The study concluded that the impact of traffic congestion on employers was substantial and similar to that on commuters. As an often overlooked dimension of congestion, the impact of traffic congestion on employers needs more attention in transportation plans.