According to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (US Department of Transportation), average commuting (work trip) travel time dropped nearly more than five percent from 1969 to 1995. At the same time, average commuting distance increased 17 percent, while overall commuting travel speed increased by a quarter.

In characterizing the 1983 to 1990 trend, a US Department of Transportation report noted:

(this is)... might be partially due to the fact that a greater number of suburban and exurban residential areas and employment centers were developed. The resulting commutes are longer but are traveled at faster speeds. The decline in travel time is also influenced by changes in commuting modes, with the decrease in transit and carpooling and an increase in driving alone.⁽¹⁾

1. United States Department of Transportation, 1990 NPTS: Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey: Summary of Travel Trends (1992), page 24.