Rossen Reports: Is 'rush hour' gone for good? Watch our experiment
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Updated: 2:59 PM CDT Jul 22, 2021
Jeff Rossen
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Updated: 2:59 PM CDT Jul 22, 2021
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Hey, have you gotten the email yet? The dreaded email? The return to work email companies are bringing people back into the office. Some of you will go back full time, others hybrid home and office. And some of you will be fully working from home. So who's doing what? You know, checking the traffic is a great way to find out. We'll rush hour still be a thing post pandemic. And what's the commute like Right now we're hitting the road. It's the rossen reports, reopening commute challenge. Yeah, backups, bumper to bumper as well. Give yourself extra remember this. Well, traffic disappeared during the pandemic. But is it back? We're testing the reopening by testing rush hour commutes, driving the busiest routes at the worst times. And to do this, we're launching a nationwide experiment using our amazing journalists from our her stations across the country from Milwaukee to Sacramento savannah to Cincinnati. Our reporters are standing by ready to do the commute. I am here in downtown boston right now and I'm gonna do it too. Here's our rental car right over here and we're gonna try this route here and I'm gonna go from downtown boston where I am right now To a suburb called Weston and it is only 16 miles away from where I am right now. So what should it take 20 minutes? But we're told the commute pre pandemic could take up to an hour to do this route. So we're gonna see what what it takes me now. It's 5:10 PM as I'm taping this. So right in the heart of the afternoon commute, let's see how long it takes me right away. A sea of red brake lights. I'm going, I can't even register that. Let's see. But let's say there's a speedometer, what? There we are, zero. And I'm on the highway so that's great news. After a lot of stop and go finally, okay, we're pulling up, we are arriving in western massachusetts. There's the Little town of Western sign right there and it took us 51 minutes. So 51 minutes pretty long. I'd say Boston is coming back. Thank you. And I think my colleague Megan Mitchell from WLWT in Cincinnati is seeing some traffic to All right, So today we're going from Florence Kentucky into downtown Cincinnati. This commute usually takes about 35 minutes. So let's see what we got. This is feeling like old times, but here's where things get scary. Megan realizes something else is back to road rage. Just out of camera range, a car almost hit her trying to get out of the traffic. One thing the pandemic did not change bad drivers. It took us about the same time, if not a couple of minutes longer to do them commute today than it would have saved pre pandemic. Let's see if they have better luck in sacramento California. Here's mike to sell from K. C. R. A. Doing the commute Jeff. We're in Roseville California, a suburb. 22 miles from downtown Sacramento. This is the morning commute at eight a.m. that traditionally takes 45 minutes to an hour before the pandemic. Mhm Let's go. Mike has no problems. And here we are back at our destination total time 27:51. Things are also looking good in savannah Georgia. Emma Hamilton from W. J. C. L. Driving there this morning. We're starting right outside of savannah in Guyton Georgia and we're gonna drive from here to the station and typically before the pandemic this took anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. So now we're going to see how long it takes now when she hits the highway, smooth sailing. So right now we're actually doing the speed limit on the highway, which is something I could have never said before. The pandemic during rush hour. Emma makes good time, taking only 36 minutes. Let's head over to Milwaukee. Now with wi sns nick Bohr Pre pandemic, it would take about 40 minutes to drive from our station here in downtown Milwaukee to my home in the suburb of Brookfield. How long will it take now? It's my own Nick. Makes it home in just 26 minutes. Still doesn't appear to be back to what it was in the days before the lockdown. Mm hmm. If you're really dreading the commute, I don't blame you. Here's an idea. Talk to your boss. Maybe they can shift the time you come in a little later or a little earlier and then you can leave the office a little later or a little earlier, up and down a couple of hours, so you miss the heavy traffic. A friend of mine just did this a few weeks ago, asked his boss. The boss was open to it, even set a couple of other people that asked to, So this is happening. He's good now. Maybe you can be too good luck out there back to you.