Anyone who lives on one of our coasts and engages in cross continental business with those on the other coast understands the problem. Those who travel regularly from coast to coast know the difficulties that come with resetting biological clocks to accommodate a three hour time difference. Is it time for the United States to consider reducing the number of time zones, at least in the contiguous forty eight states from four to three, or even two? The idea is not that radical.
To promote efficiency and productivity in government and private business, China, India and Russia have already compressed their time zones. China, roughly the width of the United States, had four time zones. It now has one. India reduced its time zones from two to one. Russia, once eleven time zones, now has nine.
In the United States roughly 61% of the population live in either the Eastern or Pacific time zones. Barely 5% live in the Mountain time zone. The remainder are in the Central time zone.
If you consider two offices, one east coast and one west coast, that are both open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and where key personnel are unavailable during lunch from noon to one, there are three hours or less per working day when direct communication is possible. If the east coast office needs to contact the west coast office, it cannot take place until 1:00 pm eastern time. The west coast office opens at 9 Pacific time which is noon Eastern. Only after key personnel on the east coast return from lunch will direct communication be available. Likewise, if the west coast needs direct communication with the east coast after 2:00 pm Pacific time (5:00 pm Eastern), they will be waiting until the next morning when the east coast office reopens.
Simply eliminating the Mountain Time Zone and combining it with the Pacific Time Zone, nearly doubles the available time for direct communication, from three hours to five hours. Going to two time zones would dramatically reduce the stress of coast to coast travel. Other forms of mass communication, particularly live television events, could be scheduled to allow east coasters to view without staying up to the wee hours while allowing west coasters to tune in live without skipping out of work early.
Whether for business productivity, government efficiency or mass entertainment and information media, this virtually no cost idea merits our consideration. One option being proposed can be found here.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.