It is possible that traffic congestion will keep on getting worse so that road rage, missed appointments and late deliveries become the norm. But there is an equally plausible alternative scenario. The latest study of commuting by America's transportation department suggests that some of the forces that made for the "great commuting surge" of the 1970s and 1980s-growth in population, in the labour force and in the proportion of women who work-are largely spent. Telecommuting may help too.