The Staggered Work Hours Demonstration Project was conducted in downtown Honolulu during a 4-week period in 1988. During the project, official office hours for state, city, and county employees were shifted 45 min later in an attempt to alleviate the early peak-period congestion into downtown Honolulu. Approximately 3,500 of the 7,100 employees working in the Civic Centre area participated in the project. This evaluation focuses on the project's effects on traffic flow, employee commuting experience, employee attitudes, work performance, and productivity. Three types of data were collected: (a) floating-car measurements of travel times and speeds on major corridors into the downtown area on two dates before and two dates during the project; (b) an employee panel survey of reported commuting experiences on the same four dates, as well as attitudes concerning project effects on activity schedules; and (c) a postproject survey of managers concerning work performance and morale. Results indicate a significant overall effect on travel conditions. Average estimated time savings were in the range of 3 or 4 min, or less than 10% of the average commute. However, the effects were not uniform, and nonparticipants benefited more than participants. Many participants also experienced inconveniences associated with household activities. Project results suggest that staggered work hours can improve travel conditions, but a permanent project should be as voluntary as possible to minimise problems of equity and inconvenience.
Abstract