A different lens | Commuting

Man traveling southbound at 67 mph on U.S. Route 101 near Montecito, California,
at 6:31 p.m. on or around the 28th of a summer month on a Sunday in 1994

Man and woman passing through the intersection of Cahuenga and Hollywood boulevards, Hollywood, at 33 mph on February 14, 1997

Woman gliding southeast at 64 mph on U.S. Route 101 near Santa Barbara at 4:39 p.m.
sometime in March 1990

Andrew Bush | andrewbush.net

As of 2008, there were 128.3 million U.S. commuters.*

We commute by car, carpool, transit (bus, streetcar, subway, railroad, ferry), taxi, motorcycle, bike, walking, the short shuffle to our home offices and the always mysterious “other.” (Segway, anyone?) Approximately 76% of our collective back and forth to work is driving alone. That number isn’t good—for our environment, our energy independence or our souls. Joseph Conrad said, “We live, as we dream—alone.” It seems that’s how we like to roll as well.

What’s your commute? Let us know in the comments.

*IAC Transportation, July 2008

A Different Lens is an ongoing series and collaboration between Robin Wallace and Tom Devine that is inspired by images of working lives.