Rush Hours
Shackled by Gridlock
A recent survey concluded that drivers commuting within urban areas that experience the greatest rush-hour gridlock spend a full month out of every year sitting in traffic.
According to the annual National Traffic Scorecard conducted by traffic and navigation service provider INRIX in Kirkland, Wash., highway congestion increased nationwide for 11 consecutive months in 2010 with drivers experiencing more backups nearly every hour of the day.
Here’s INRIX’s list of the most traffic-congested U.S. cities and the times in a given week one should seriously consider taking public transportation:
1. Los Angeles: Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Average trip takes 71 percent longer than normal.
2. New York: Fridays at 5:15 p.m. Average trip takes 47 percent longer.
3. Chicago: Fridays at 5:15 p.m. Average trip takes 41 percent longer.
4. Washington, D.C.: Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Average trip takes 51 percent longer.
5. Dallas: Fridays at 5:15 p.m. Average trip takes 36 percent longer.
– Jim Gorzelany , CTW Features
