Traffic congestion in the US getting worse

[allthumbs]

According to an annual report released in September by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, the average rush-hour driver in the United States wasted about 26 hours stuck in traffic in 2001, an increase of four hours in the last five years. "Congestion extends to more time of the day, more roads, affects more of the travel and creates more extra travel time than in the past," the study said.

 

The report, which looked at 75 urban areas, found that:

• The average rush-hour driver in Los Angeles spent about 90 hours waiting in traffic in 2001, more than anywhere else

 

• The San Francisco-Oakland area was next at 68 hours

 

• Denver came in at 64 hours

 

• Miami was a close fourth at 63 hours

 

• Chicago and Phoenix tied for fifth worst at 61 hours

 

The study estimated that the congestion cost $69.5 billion in wasted time and gas. Measures such as traffic signals on freeway entrance ramps and traffic signal coordination have kept a bad situation from getting worse, but the study calls for more improvements such as more roads to handle increased demand, additional bus and car pool lanes and adjusted work hours for commuters.

 

[scott_harpell]

light rail!

[b-rock]

I just wish they'd let motorbikes in the breakdown lane and inbetween lanes during slow traffic like CA.

[iain]

I feel sorry for people with bad traffic commutes but if you don't want to put up with it, move, or get on the bike. I'm sick of pdx commuters bitching about how narrow the bridge is over the Columbia. Don't want traffic issues? Don't commute to Beaverton from Vancouver!!!

[allthumbs]

I telecommute. Nice way to go.

[catbirdseat]

My commute takes 15 minutes. You won't hear me complaining.

 

Trask, you probably have one of those headsets so you can talk on the phone and sell your insurance and spray at the same time.

[scott_harpell]

i say tripple the gas tax, build a light rai from say tacoma through evertt and call it good. better for the envoronment, better for commutes and the fuckers in the SUV's get it in the ass.

[iain]

[jon]

True Story.

 

I'm riding my bike yesterday going through Issaquah on my loop around Lake Sammammish. Issaquah has the worst traffic on earth. There is this stretch of two lanes each way before the pkwy turns into one lane. Anyways I'm riding along and all these cars are going by, and then this guy gets next to me and starts yelling me telling me how I'm holding up traffic. I asked him if he was in a rush to get to his next red light. Anyways he keeps bitching and then starts pulling away and I yell "if you have something to say pull the fuck over and we can talk about." Shithead slams on his breaks and pulls up next to me like he is some tough guy. In doing so he is holding up traffic more then I ever would, because people can go past me. "What did you say?" "You heard me, if you wanna talk pull the fuck over." "Oh I've got plenty to say" "Don't you all." Then the mofo speeds off. It's incredible that someone would think that I'm responsible for the insane traffic in Issaquah.

[EWolfe]

 

[scott_harpell]

i read an article ( i will try to find it) that stated that because of the size of SUV's traffic is as much as 23% worse. this is because they take p more space and also, people stay farther aways from them. burn the fuckers!

 

note: i was just kidding about the torching... kinda

[jon]

I wish we had a rail system like Washington DC or a trolley system like San Diego.

[scott_harpell]

or subway like moskow.... can get anywhere in one of the largest cities in the world by only walking a total of 400 meters.

[EWolfe]

scott_harpell said:

i read an article ( i will try to find it) that stated that because of the size of SUV's traffic is as much as 23% worse. this is because they take p more space and also, people stay farther aways from them. burn the fuckers!

 

note: i was just kidding about the torching... kinda

 

Hey, but who cares!

 

The new Cadillac has 1000 horsepower:

 

 

Gas mileage? We don't need no stinkin' gas mileage!

[sal]

when i bought my first house, i couldn't possibly have afforded the rent on an apartment within a bike ride to my job.

 

it's too expensive for many people to live near their work. puget sound housing prices don't help our traffic.

[scott_harpell]

damnit i wanna join ELF... just to burn some SUV's

 

again... kinda kidding.

[scrambler]

jon said:

I wish we had a rail system like Washington DC or a trolley system like San Diego.

 

Wonder if it's a function of population density? Have to have a critical mass of people before it's feasible? Will the Seattle area become dense enough with population for this development? Monorail and light rail is the same idea on a smaller (Seattle size) scale. I did ride the light rail in Tacoma and it was all right. 'Cept I noticed that all of the other passengers were retired folks with mucho free time.

 

 

[scott_harpell]

scrambler said:

jon said:

I wish we had a rail system like Washington DC or a trolley system like San Diego.

 

Wonder if it's a function of population density? Have to have a critical mass of people before it's feasible? Will the Seattle area become dense enough with population for this development? Monorail and light rail is the same idea on a smaller (Seattle size) scale. I did ride the light rail in Tacoma and it was all right. 'Cept I noticed that all of the other passengers were retired folks with mucho free time.

 

 

yeah... when anarky starts, then they put in a rail. god forbid they ever use any foresight.

[iain]

sal said:

when i bought my first house, i couldn't possibly have afforded the rent on an apartment within a bike ride to my job.

 

it's too expensive for many people to live near their work. puget sound housing prices don't help our traffic.

 

Again, that's a choice to be made, but once it's made, no bitching about traffic problems! I would personally find it difficult to live my life where my work and home are separated by a mandatory car ride, though 120 miles of hills in the rain a week wears on the mind

[mattp]

Be careful there, Jon. A bike racing friend of mine was training on Lake Washington Boulevard one time, and he angered some kids who came back and whacked him with some kind of bat.

[lummox]

i dont mind riding public transport. but wtf is that brown bathtub-ring looking smegma stuff on some of the seats?

[scott_harpell]

mattp said:

Be careful there, Jon. A friend of mine was training on Lake Washington Boulevard one time, and he angered some kids who came back and whacked him with some kind of bat.

 

me and my x-c coach were cruising and he took a bottle in the knee... mabe that was because he was a hard teacher tho?

[scott_harpell]

lummox said:

i dont mind riding public transport. but wtf is that brown bathtub-ring looking smegma stuff on some of the seats?

 

public transit kicks ass! i use it everyday is is raining. saves so much agitation by shitty traffic , constructions, seeing SUV and flipping them off, and generally just nice to meet some nice meth-freaks. trippay!

[sal]

iain said:

sal said:

when i bought my first house, i couldn't possibly have afforded the rent on an apartment within a bike ride to my job.

 

it's too expensive for many people to live near their work. puget sound housing prices don't help our traffic.

 

Again, that's a choice to be made, but once it's made, no bitching about traffic problems! I would personally find it difficult to live my life where my work and home are separated by a mandatory car ride, though 120 miles of hills in the rain a week wears on the mind

 

i agree. and i approached my commute w/a variety of creative solutions to make it manageable. i'm a big supporter of lightrail from everett to t-town. for many families earning a moderate salary it's often too expensive to live near work. providing light rail will hopefully ease commute times

 

iain- i agree on living a long way from work but in my life it works better. i don't bitch about my commute. i've tried both approaches. in my case, having to commute to work each day means that i'm not commuting to play each day. and i get to play a lot more than i did when i lived close to work.

[vegetablebelay]

I commute, in a SUV, 20 minutes in the morning, 45-60 minutes in the afternoon. I'm not complaining. I smirk a little when I see you waiting for the bus, on someone else's time.