Traffic is a serious problem, and according to a new report, it’s not going to improve in the future.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute and INRIX recently released the 2019 Urban Mobility Report. It spells out just how costly and time-consuming traffic is for every driver.
Future of Driving Capability: 2021 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban
“The problem affects not only commuters but also manufacturers and shippers whose travel delay costs are passed on to consumers,” said Bill Eisele, a TTI senior research engineer who co-authored the report. “While trucks constitute only 7 percent of road traffic, they account for 12 percent of congestion cost.”
2017 Stats
The report revealed that in 2017:
- As a nation, the price of traffic amounted to $179 billion.
- 3.3 billion gallons of fuel were wasted.
- Extra travel time reached 8.8 billion hours.
Widespread congestion
The increase in traffic jams isn’t just an issue for big-city dwellers. Smaller cities have to contend with increased road congestion, which usually gets worse as the week goes on. Although congestion is often at its worst in the evening, traveling during midday isn’t a guarantee you won’t hit traffic.
“In regions over 1 million population, the hours on each side of the four-hour evening peak have as much delay as the morning rush hours. The trend is even more pronounced in smaller regions, with several midday hours having as much delay as the morning rush hour,” the report states.
Future strategies
As more drivers take to the roads, traffic will be a mainstay. The authors estimate the nation’s cost for congestion in 2025 will reach $237 billion, and traffic delays will equal 10 billion hours. Approximately 3.6 billion gallons of gas will be wasted in 2025.
Alleviating the current state and grim estimates of future traffic will require many tactics, according to the researchers.
“No single approach will ever solve this complex problem,” said Bill Lomax, TTI Regents Fellow and report co-author. “We know what works. What the country needs is a robust, information-powered conversation at the local, state and national levels about what steps should be taken. We have many strategies; we have to figure out the right solution for each problem and a way to pay for them.”
Financial Savvy: Top tips to prepare for tax season
The report compared data from 1982 to 2017 and examined 494 urban areas across the United States and Puerto Rico.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.