[WayneS]

Why not stagger starting times for people who work the usual 9-5? One batch starts at 9:05am, the next at 9:10am, etc. then on the way home, you leave at 5pm, 5:05 pm. 5:10pm, etc.?

That might work, as long as everyone lives the exact same distance from work, and drives the exact same speed, and makes the exact same number of stops on their way to and from their jobs.

[oh8eleven]

That might work, as long as everyone lives the exact same distance from work, and drives the exact same speed, and ...
How so? Rochester NY is home to both Xerox and Kodak and between the two (back in the day), employed well over 75,000 people.
Morning and evening traffic was damned near gridlock, until both companies sat down in the early 80s and came up with staggered start/quit times which improved traffic flow significantly.