This city has the worst traffic in the U.S.—and it's actually a good thing: 'Congestion shows the...

No, it is not a good thing. It is bad for many reasons.

Congestion = pollution. No one turns their car off and on every time they stop. Every second spent idling is a second of pollution with NOTHING to show for it. Pollution is bad, but is at least somewhat justifiable by its product. Pollution with no product is indefensible.

Congestion causes (or exacerbates) irritability. Nobody sits in a traffic jam getting cheetier by the minute. That irritability translates to the business world (when endured on the way to work), souring customer relations, increasing inter-office strife and stress, and reducing productivity. It translates to home life (when endured on the way home) increasing home stress and, by extension, domestic disharmony and violence.

It represents a step backward - and often a breach of promise. Remember how teleworking was the way of the future? Pre-Covid, a few places here and there had developed teleworking solutions. Covid put this on steroids and ALL of the big Companies, and most government jobs, developed teleworking solutions. Not only this, but we were all told this was the way of the future. Folks who were able to work from home would likely never go back to the office. Job positions were re-branded as work from home or remote work. Job openings were advertised as remote work and applicants were hired from states away. Employees were PROMISED in conference calls that their jobs would remain remote. People bought houses and sold cars based on these assurances. And then were told to get back to the office or lose their jobs. Commutes (for those doing them ) are now longer than ever. Lifestyles that were completely rearranged and destroyed a few years ago are now being completely rearranged and destroyed, again, but this time completely needlessly.

A large part of my job involves going in yo homes to check on families. By policy this happens at least once a month, in person, face to face. Covid policy said every other month could be a video visit. This freed up a lot of commute time. At the same time, other things beyond our control were breaking down, and we were having new duties thrust upon us. This was justified primarily by "somebody has to do it." But the secondary justification was that we now had a bunch less commute time, this extra time was not *that* bad. Well, the video visits have gone away, now we are back to every month in the home. And that other BS? Yeah that still exists. My position is 37.5 hours/ week. I have mandatory overtime of 40 (or more) hours / month. I get to pick when my overtime happens, but still- I have an entire week's worth of OT MANDATED every single month.



One of the VERY few things about Covid and the ensuing lockdowns is that it forces a lot of companies - not just employers, but shippers, delivery companies, home visit folks, basic everyone who uses the roads - to revolutionize their industries to work smarter and, by extent, stayboff the roads. The Congestion? It does not signify the economy getting stronger. It signifies companies getting dumber.