Warning: This Commute May Be Hazardous To Your Health

Metro Atlanta ranks highly in many "best places" lists. But there's one ranking the region is not proud of -- it has the second least healthy commute in the nation.

1 minute read

July 26, 2007, 6:00 AM PDT

By Alex Pearlstein


"Only one big metro area in the Unites States has a less healthy commute than metro Atlanta, according to a report by Forbes.com this week. The report gives equal weight to air pollution, length of peak-hour travel times and crash fatalities. Atlanta doesn't get top - or, should we say, bottom - marks on those individually, but put them all together and the area is the second worst in the country, according to Forbes' analysis. The Riverside, Calif., area tops the list."

"Riverside has the highest rate of crash deaths, according to the report. Rush hour drivers in the Los Angeles area had the longest delay from congestion, according to the Texas Transportation Institute, with Atlanta coming in fourth, at 67 annual hours of delay."

"The Atlanta metro area ranks 13th in the nation for particle pollution, according to Atlanta's Clean Air Campaign. It is improving in recent years, partly because of cooler, rainier weather."

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Screenshot of robot with fox and bird in The Wild Robot animated movie.

A Lone Voice for Climate: How The Wild Robot Stands Apart in Hollywood

Among this year’s Oscar-nominated films, only The Wild Robot passed the Climate Reality Check, a test measuring climate change representation in storytelling, highlighting the ongoing lack of climate awareness in mainstream Hollywood films.

1 minute ago - The Hollywood Reporter

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9 - Axios