Atlanta's traffic commute not nation's worst, but close

By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hey, we're not dead last.

That's about the extent of the good news when it comes to our commute, according to a new Forbes analysis.

Forbes says Atlanta has the third-worst commute among the nation's 60 largest metro areas. Only Detroit and Tampa-St. Petersburg ranked lower. Residents of those three cities "endure the most grueling slog to work," Forbes' Francesca Levy wrote.

In fact, the Southeast as a whole fared poorly, with Orlando (No. 57), Miami-Fort Lauderdale (55) and Birmingham (52) joining Atlanta in the bottom 10.

"The year-round swelter in these places may not be incidental to commuter unfriendliness," Levy wrote. "Pounding sun can make biking or walking to work impractical or impossible. For those opting for mass transit, high temperatures can warp rail lines, requiring commuter trains to run more slowly.

"Atlanta, Ga., (no. 58 on our list) for example, has one of the worst records for green commuting: A mere 13% of commuters avoid driving alone."

Forbes based its findings on three factors:

* The percentage of commuters who take an hour or more to get to work.

* The percentage of commuters who carpool or use alternatives to driving like walking, biking or taking public transportation.

* The Travel Time Index, which compares how long a commute takes during rush hour to the same trip in ideal conditions.

Cities with the best commutes, such as Salt Lake City, Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y., tend to have minimal sprawl and better public transportation, according to Forbes.

Check out the rankings here.