February 28, 2010 03:36:05 PM
:

Roy Fultun

:

Commerce

:

Commute time Indicator

:

I live in LA, not NYC. Perhaps in LA, street/freeway traffic intensity, hence commute time may serve as an indicator of real economic robustness, or lack thereof. Heavy traffic, long commutes, so good economic times. Light traffic, short commutes, hence bad economy and high unemployment.

Could some analog of this phenomenon (conjectured to apply to automobile-dominated LA) be relevant to subway-dominated NYC?

For examples: park attendance, library attendance, grocery/restaurant waiting queue length, sidewalk population density during rush hour, rush hour/late morning sidewalk density ratio, etcetera.

These prospective indicators should be openly visible and easily monitored.