🎃 Boo! 10 Facts About Commuting in Hampton Roads That Might Frighten You (and How to Change It) 👻

Gather ’round the glow of your phone, frequent Hampton Roads commuter. This isn’t your usual ghost story. We’re creeping into something scarier than creaky floorboards or shadowy closets... your commute. At dawn and dusk you face the same horror: traffic, fumes, wasted minutes. Unlike tales told around the campfire, this one has an escape hatch. 

Ready to step into the mist? Let’s go… 

Fact #1: The Phantom 15-45 Hours Lost ⏳ 

The State of Transportation in Hampton Roads (2023) report says travelers lost an average of 15 hours sitting in congestion in 2022. In heavier years, it creeps toward 45 hours. That’s like burning almost a week of PTO in traffic. An. entire. WEEK. 

The Escape: If your job allows, telework once a week (twice is even better!). Zero commute beats any shortcut. Or, if you must head in, swap in a bike commute on a crisp fall morning. It’s like trick-or-treating for adults, but with fresh air and endorphins instead of mini Butterfingers. 

Source: Unsplash.com/Pauline Iakovleva 

Fact #2: Crash Courses Aren’t Just for Safety Class 💥 

In 2022, Hampton Roads logged 24,712 crashes, injuring over 15,000 people. That’s a crash every 21 minutes – basically an episode of The Office. 

The Escape: Consider transit on busy corridors. A trained operator handles the chaos while you binge podcasts, text your group chat, or yes, sneak a nap. That’s scary good multitasking. 

Fact #3: Cars Are Coughing Out More Than Engine Noise 👃🌫️ 

The State of the Air 2025 report shows Hampton Roads slipped in ozone and particle pollution rankings. Bad air = headaches, fatigue and bad vibes that even pumpkin spice can’t fix. 

The Escape: Hybrid work is the unsung hero. Working from home a few days and commuting fewer miles the rest slashes emissions without asking you to change much. Add in occasional carpooling and suddenly you’re helping your lungs (and your coworkers’).   

Source: Unsplash.com/Vanessa Serpas  

Fact #4: Parking Lot Purgatory Is Real 🚘😵 

All that pavement in Hampton Roads – roads and parking lots galore – doesn’t let rain soak in. Instead, it rushes off, flooding streets and carrying gunk into our waterways. Creepy, right? 

The Escape: Support greener design – think trees, permeable pavement or fewer parking spaces in the first place. And hey, fewer solo drivers means less pavement needed. 

Fact #5: Your Wallet is the True Victim 💸🧛 

Across the U.S., the average car commuter spends about $2,600 a year just getting to work – and that isn’t even counting the “wear and tear” stuff. If you factor in ownership, insurance, maintenance, fuel, tolls, and depreciation? The AAA estimate for owning and operating a vehicle lands around $12,000 a year. 

The Escape: Many employers offer commuter solutions – think pre-tax transit passes, vanpool subsidies or telework programs. HR might not advertise it like free doughnuts, but those perks can save you hundreds a year. 

Fact #6: The Stress Monster Follows You Home 👹 

Research shows that commuters who drive solo for over an hour a day are more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms than folks who bike, walk or share a ride. Your brain deserves better than bumper-to-bumper doom and gloom. 

The Escape: Join a vanpool. With someone else at the wheel, you can nap, scroll or actually chat with coworkers. You’ll get home less zombie, more human. 

Fact #7: Solo Driving = Conversation Ghost Town 👻 

In the U.S., only about 9% of commuters carpool to work, down from 20% in the 1970s. That means over 90% are still driving solo – trapped in their cars like ghosts haunting the same stretch of highway every day. 

The Escape: Join a vanpool. Share a ride and bring some laughs (and life 😉) back to your commute. 

Source: Unsplash.com/Tyler  

Fact #8: Parking Costs Can Bleed You Dry 🧛‍♂️💵 

Depending on where you work in Hampton Roads, monthly parking can run from $50 to over $150 – and that’s before the gas you burn circling for a spot. It’s like paying rent for your car to sit still all day. 

The Escape: Employers offering telework or hybrid schedules save you from daily parking fees. Or, ditch the solo drive and use park-and-ride lots with carpools or vanpools – far cheaper than downtown garage prices. 

Fact #9: Traffic Is a Thief of Sleep 😴🔪 

Research shows that long commutes eat into rest. Commuters with one-hour drives are more likely to get less than 7 hours of sleep per night. And nothing’s scarier than a sleep-deprived morning meeting. 

The Escape: Flex hours or hybrid work can reclaim your bedtime. Even one or two days a week skipping the grind means more ZZZs, less zombie. 

Source: Unsplash.com/Megan Lee   

Fact #10: The Real Scare? You Actually Have Choices 🎬 

It feels like the script is locked: endless brake lights, receipts, stress. But with goCommute offering vanpool assistance, park-and-ride information, telework programs, and other commuter options, you don’t have to play the doomed extra. You can be the final girl: the one who flips the script, outsmarts the big bad guy and walks out of the chaos with the lights still on. 

The Escape: You don’t need a total reboot. Try one small change: a bike commute on Fridays, telework on Wednesdays, or a carpool trial month. Those small edits flip the script from slasher flick to cozy rom-com. 

🎬 The Credits Roll: Your Twist Ending 

So this Halloween, skip the haunted hayride – your commute is scary enough. But unlike most horror movies, you get to decide the ending. 

Join a vanpool. Try that bike commute. Carpool buddy? Yes, please. Tap into goCommute’s commuter options. Work from home when you can. You don’t have to star in Brake Light Massacre: Endless Edition. 

You’re the final girl of this story. You’re the one who outsmarts traffic, beats back stress and makes it to the brighter, cleaner morning. Less traffic. Cleaner air. More time for life.