Love it or hate it, remote work was good for Seattle’s traffic problem.
With Amazon’s announcement this week that it wants thousands of corporate and tech workers in the office five days a week, expect congestion into and out of the city to get worse. All you have to do is look at the data from when the company mandated at least three days in the office last year.
According to analysis by Inrix, a Kirkland, Wash.-based transportation software and data provider, Amazon’s May 2023 directive — and other back-to-office mandates that followed — had a significant effect on slowing down traffic on major commute routes.
The east-west commute on roads such as SR 520 and I-90 was particularly impacted, especially in the morning, with average speeds 29% slower than in the months before workers returned. In the afternoon, Inrix saw speeds slow down more than 10% in both directions on I-405 and on I-5 northbound to Everett.
With roughly 50,000 employees in Seattle and another 12,000 in Bellevue, the three-day mandate has seen the majority of those workers choosing to come into the office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. According to businesses around Amazon headquarters buildings in the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle neighborhoods, foot traffic is decidedly busier during the middle of the week.
Mondays and Fridays have remained slower than normal — but that will change when the new order goes into effect in January.
Inrix said east-west drivers will likely experience the largest drop in speeds on Friday mornings, followed by Monday mornings. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday speed data won’t be impacted since employees are already commuting on those days, according to Inrix.
Traffic around Seattle and the surrounding region has long been a problem. The tech boom and growth of the city contributed to excruciating commute times in the years leading up to the start of the pandemic.
According to Inrix’s 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard, Seattle is the 10th worst city in the U.S. for traffic congestion, with drivers losing an average of 58 hours per year sitting in a slow commute.
The ability to avoid sitting in traffic every morning and evening, and save time and money associated with such travel, is a leading reason why many workers have embraced remote and hybrid work styles and resisted the call to return to the office.
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