Visualizing the Commute: Graphic display of rush hour traffic patterns reveals extent of congestion

Wired reports on some fascinating work on traffic patterns done by Mark Evans. 

Dragging yourself out of bed is horrible enough, but couple that with traffic, construction, delays, ill-mannered drivers, poorly-constructed bike lanes, and the fact that your favorite podcast is slowly going downhill—slumping into your office chair is a relief.

And yet, Mark Evans has managed to make that collective experience bewitching—beautiful, even. Using data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey covering 2006 through 2010, Evans built an interactive map that charts the daily work-related travels of every person in the United States.

The map, which currently lives on Evans’s personal blog, allows anyone to look at commutes to or from the county of their choice.

Click here and follow the prompts for the interactive Central Puget Sound experience.

ACS Commute Map

In addition to being somewhat mesmerizing, the data visualization provides useful information on how traffic moves through the region. Allowing it to more more efficiently and safely is key to our Connect priority.