Commuting speed as a proxy for the value of time

This study investigates driving speed derived from Google Maps as a proxy for commuting costs, introducing a novel method to address the persistent challenge in the urban form literature of empirically measuring these costs for all U.S. cities. In the monocentric city model, I evaluate driving speed against the original measures of vehicle availability and public transit usage for a broad sample of urbanized areas. Results suggest that driving speed is an appropriate proxy for commuting costs and contributes an improved empirical tool for future research on urban form and city size. •The Mills–Muth model specifies commuting costs as the value of time.•Original proxies for commuting costs in the literature are not empirically reliable.•Driving speed as a proxy for the value of time is derived from Google Maps.•Evidence suggests driving speed proxies for the value of time.