Massachusetts Has Fourth-Longest Commute Time in United States

Is it worth it to commute to work?

Around the SouthCoast, a large number of commuters take the traditional Route 140 to Taunton, and then all the way up Route 24 onto I-93, the Southeast Expressway into the city.

Once, that was the commute, but no longer. It's turned into a journey.

The U.S. Census Bureau made public that Massachusetts has the fourth-longest commute in the nation, and the largest increase in commuter times.

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What alternatives do people on the SouthCoast have to help shorten the time of the ride?

I know firsthand that going to Taunton and taking Route 44 over to Route 3 and up into Boston is much longer than the traditional route. And anytime Route 18 to Quincy and into Boston is mentioned, I think of my grandfather driving the old route.

Can you think of any alternatives?

An interesting study by the University of West England found that adding 20 minutes to your daily commute has the same negative effect as getting a 19 percent pay cut. In other words, the longer the commute gets, the lower the satisfaction gets.

Despite Boston's notorious traffic and the availability of HOV lanes, Massachusetts is at rock bottom of the list of carpooling workers. Only 7 percent of the workers said they carpool to work, while 13 percent said they carpooled in Hawaii, which reported the highest rate.

I've been told:

"It's exhausting driving in darkness."

"It's not wonderful, but it's also not the nightmare some people make it out to be."

"I do Dartmouth to Boston, and yes it's punishing, but I have a great job that I love in Cambridge."

"I tried vanpooling, but it was weird. Felt like I was the stranger in a car full of friends."

It could always be worse. We could be No. 3 in the nation.