I just downloaded the excel data ... the data is rigged. The “average” commute of someone in NYC or DC is “longer” than the average commute of someone in Seattle. I really dont think so. East Coast cities were designed and grew up around urban life. West Coast cities are spread out and life is not urban centric. Mrs R and I had jobs where we each commuted 20 miles each way, in opposite directions. Seattle has a very unique challenge ... a huge population of commuters lives on the other side of a lake from Seattle, which automatically makes thier commutes a minimum of 6 miles each way, and the lake is only served by 2 bridges. There is only one N-S Freeway (I-5) in Seattle, 2 E-W Bridges (I-90 and 520), and 1 half-loop (I-405) around town. There is no other city in America as big with as little freeway. My current commute is 30 miles each way, each day.
The problem with CONGESTION (not distance) making Houston a bad commute is that it is in “the system” by design. Our anal retentive City Counil/mayor power structure serves the downtown business alliance.
They want to discourage commuting and deliberately logjam the I-10 corridor (which serves transnational traffic going THROUGH town, besides just the commuters and local industrial/delivery traffic). Chris Bell (city council, mayoral candidate, congress critter who lodged the complaint against Tom DeLay...) said as much in an interview that those living “outside the (610) loop” should not be encouranged to live in outlying areas or to even come into town to enjoy the nightlife. Of course the city will still ANNEX outlying areas for the tax $$$, just don’t expect city services.
Our tollroad loop (Beltway 8) has a feeder street system around most of the loop. But the traffic lights are deliberately out of phase to encourage riding the pay road. Increasing congestion and pollution.
And at night there are a number of “inner loop” traffic lights that are red in one direction for 4-8 minutes after 10pm. Again such civil engineering (not present in the daytime cycling) are COUNTER to keeping traffic moving.