Would traffic flow better if rush hour was staggered from schools and businesses?

How the heck would you do that? People who work have kids. As it is, it’s hard enough to get the kids to school, get to work, and get home at a reasonable hour.

Of course.

In the DC metro area parts of the government allow employees to work maxi flex, which means they can come in as early as 6:00 am and as late as 10:00, depending on the particular office. It also spreads out the time you can leave the same way. Traffic there is still pretty brutal though.

When I worked in North Carolina a lot of the techy businesses let people work from home, and even when I worked for Calvin Klein one of my NY account executives worked from home. Cuts diwn on commuting traffic and good for the environment.

Some cities and some businesses are more open to flexible schedules for their employees. Schools tend to follow more “normal” hours for a few reasons. First, it’s best if school sort of lines up with typical work hours so parents can take their children to work and be home when the kids get home, or not much after. I do think high schools should start at 9:30 or 10:00 to avoid rush hour and allow teens to sleep later. Younger grades can go earlier.

Here in the San Francisco, a lot of construction work is scheduled 6 a.m. to 2:30 or 6:30 to 3. So it eases the strain on traffic. But it also stretches the commute hour so that traffic is heavy from 3 until 7. If something happens at 3:15, like a minor accident, traffic will be a mess well before the height of the commute.