Long commutes are already a problem for suburban commuters -- but they may also be putting suburban businesses at a real disadvantage, too.

Fifty percent of Hudson Valley workers travel out of their home county to get to their job, the overwhelming majority in cars.A new study by the Brookings Institution finds that businesses in the five New York City boroughs and Newark enjoy good transit access, with nearly 60 percent of their workforce able to reach their jobs in 90 minutes or less. But for suburban businesses, only 14 percent of their workforce can reach their jobs in less than 90 minutes.

As the Mobilizing the Region blog notes, that makes New York’s city-suburb transit accessibility gap is the worst in the nation. As a result, costs for suburban businesses are often higher and it is more challenging for them to attract the best talent, particularly for people without cars.

The simple fact of the matter is that New York's transit infrastructure has not kept up with the needs or new commuting patterns. Although a transportation funding bill recently was approved in Washington D.C., much more needs to be done on the federal and state levels.