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More than time is wasted when sitting in traffic

Drivers waste nearly an entire workweek each year sitting in traffic on the way to and from their jobs, according to the Texas Traffic Institute's urban mobility report. Nationwide, drivers were tied up 4.2 billion hours in traffic delays in 2005, up from 4 billion the year before. That amounts to about 38 hours per driver. Much of the problem is caused by capacity, with the study reporting too many people and too many trips over too short of a time period on a system that is too small.

Time isn't the only thing being wasted. The study estimates that drivers wasted 2.9 billion gallons of fuel while sitting in traffic. Factoring in fuel with the time spent sitting in traffic, traffic delays cost $78.2 billion.

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The study provided information on traffic congestion in the country's 85 largest metropolitan areas. The Los Angeles metro area had the worst congestion, delaying drivers an average of 72 hours a year. It was followed by Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, and Dallas. The least congested metro areas were Spokane, Wash., and Brownsville, Texas, where drivers were delayed an average of eight hours a year.

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More than time is wasted when sitting in traffic

OfficeSolutions, Jan, 2008

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