I work from home, so commuting is not that difficult for me. I usually only make one stop (the bathroom) on my long commute from bed to desk. It’s a tough life sure. But I’ve been working on ways to shorten the commute (it’s all about desk location). On another note, not having any commute has caused a few strange byproducts to emerge:
- I hate driving (in traffic or not) now. It’s not that I find it difficult (though it arguably is the most dangerous thing I do these days), it’s just that I could be working, reading, sleeping or doing ANYTHING else besides putting all of my energy, effort and attention into driving a car and dodging dumb drivers (and not-so-dumb pedestrians and cyclists).
- It’s also decreased the time I spend outside or talking to people quite drastically. But that’s an entirely different topic.
The real issue, I think, is a total loss of efficiency when driving becomes the ‘job’. Removing focus from the task is dangerous (even listening to music can be hazardous…I recommend pulling over to change CDs or get an ipod/changer). According to a 07 Gallup poll, Americans spend about 46 minutes in a car every day as a product of their commute. Worse is 85% do the commute alone.
My point is this: The need for great public transportation is more than ever (but it’s absence is a long trend), but the real need is for automation. The more control we secede to technology in getting us to where we’re going (face it cars already park themselves) the better off America will be, in my humble opinion. The effects will be this:
- falling traffic injuries and fatalities
- drastically lower drunk driving offenses
- less congestion
- shorter commute times
- increased commuter productivity (remember, that’s 46 minutes that you could either spend working or sleeping)
- fewer traffic collisions
- and probably a few benefits that I haven’t thought of.
Some people are already thinking about this, but they always do with a caveat (that the public isn’t ready). I call bulls**t. I already hate driving. Really the only excuse is technology (but there are bright spots there). The military always has the best stuff and in the case of vehicles that drive themselves it’s leagues ahead of any civilian application (just read about the DARPA challenge or the newest “tools” that have come from it). Like the internet this technology will trickle down (but not soon enough for me) and revolutionize the way we get around. 
To the left is a picture of a advanced concept of the Autonomous Mobile (Autonomobile) which was designed by the same dudes that did the G1. I don’t necessarily think this will garner the attention of the car enthusiast in America, but it does show how different a car that drives itself will make our lives (VERY VERY different).
Kinda like a small RV crossed with a unshapely Geo Metro, meets the bay windows of a beautiful Vermont home.
Looking at it only makes me think of one other thing: If cars are this cool and functional, why the hell do we need houses?!
nice post