Congestion Costs Everyone

TRAFFIC CONGESTION WORSENED IN URBAN areas across America in 2005, costing motorists about $78 billion, or $5 billion more than in 2004, a new study finds.

The news could put more pressure on auto makers battling proposals for strict fuel-economy standards.

The study by the Texas Transportation Institute says Americans spent 4.2 billion hours stuck in traffic in 2005, equivalent to a week of downtime for every commuter. That caused drivers to buy an extra 2.9 billion gallons (10.9 billion L) of fuel.

Compared with 2004, motorists in 2005 spent 220 million more hours going nowhere and used an additional 140 million gallons (529 million L) of fuel to get there.

To boil it down further, traffic congestion cost the average motorist in 2005 about $710, compared with an inflation-adjusted $260 in 1982.

Motorists in Los Angeles experienced the greatest gridlock, losing on average 72 hours and 57 gallons (215 L) of fuel over the course of a year.

San Francisco/Oakland and Washington followed, with 60 lost hours and 47 gallons (177 L) and 43 gallons (162 L) of wasted fuel, respectively.

Buffalo motorists commuted with the greatest ease, losing only 11 hours and 7 gallons (26 L) of fuel on average in 2005.