Report: Congestion costs U.S. $63 billion a year
If today's higher fuel prices are factored in, the cost jumps another $1.7 billion.
Worsening traffic congestion is costing Americans $63.1 billion a year, according to a Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) report. The TTI's 2005 Urban Mobility Report measures traffic congestion trends from 1982 to 2003, reflecting the most recent data available. If today's higher fuel prices are factored in, the cost jumps another $1.7 billion. Other report findings include: -Annual rush hour traveler delays grew from 16 hours to 47 hours since 1982. -Total amount of delay reached 3.7 billion hours in 2003. -Wasted fuel, totaling 2.3 billion gallons was lost to engines idling in traffic jams. "Congestion is a complicated issue and can't be solved with one approach nationwide," TTI Research Engineer Tim Lomax said. "We need to think about how policies and programs enacted at the federal, state and local levels affect congestion."
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