More on the congestion study released last week by the Texas Transportation Institute….

The Rocky Mountain News had a perceptive reaction, titled America’s Secret Love Affair with Congestion:

“[C]onsider congestion from the perspective of many commuters. They are encased in climate-controlled comfort and swaddled in heated, fully adjustable seats with a cooler close at hand in the center console. There are hundreds of stations on the satellite radio, unlimited music from the driver's personal library, elevating lectures by great professors, possibly a language to learn and perhaps a DVD player discreetly tucked below the dash….”

The punchline?

“Maybe many commuters subconsciously don't mind congestion, even at some level desire it.”

I’ve heard that before.  One of the hardest parts of getting folks to carpool or use transit is that their commute, long as it is, is the only time of day they have to themselves, without interruption from spouse, kids, or colleagues.  

Of course, burning extra fossil fuels and breathing polluted air is a socially-expensive way to get ‘alone time’ – kind of like running an extension cord into the yard and running dehumidifiers to water the lawn during the current drought, something I’ve joked about with friends just because it is so incredibly wasteful.  Still, the Rocky Mountain News has a good point.  

Perhaps we need a movement for ‘sustainable solitude’?