海外文化:美国人上下班往返时间更长、距离更远_英美文化

海外文化:美国人上下班往返时间更长、距离更远

"To me, this is not that long a commute," he added. "It\'s just something I do to go to work."

Suburb-to-suburb commuting

Longer commutes frequently involve people who live in one suburb and work in another, said Alan Pisarski, author of "Commuting in America."

Such a pattern tends to begin with companies moving out of a city to a suburb, enticing workers to move to less-expensive outer suburbs, he said. "People see this as an opportunity to go farther away,"he said.

Such a move may provide more affordable housing or better schools. Even high fuel costs — Givens spends about $185 a week on gasoline — can pay off in a better quality of life, Pisarski said.

Doreen DeJesus rides a bus from her home in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, across New Jersey to her job in Manhattan.

The payoff is a house in the country, she said.

"It\'s a matter of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city," said DeJesus, 37. "It\'s not an easy thing, but most days it\'s really worth it.

"My boss thinks I\'m nuts6," she added.

Studies show 7.6 percent of U.S. commuters traveled more than an hour to work in 2004, the most recent data available, up from 6 percent in 1990. The average one-way commute grew by 13 percent to 25.5 minutes between 1990 and 2000.

In 1990, only in New York state did more than 10 percent of workers spend more than an hour to get to work, Pisarski said. Now that situation can be found in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois and California as well, he said.