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Report: DC-Area Traffic is The Worst
Reston commuters may spend an extra $1,398 per year in gas and time sitting in traffic, according to report.
We’re No. 1 — but it’s really not a good thing.
Traffic congestion in the Washington, DC,metro area has been ranked worst in the country by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI).
The study rates our region’s traffic worse than San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles, New York-Newark and Boston.
This is not the first time D.C. has been ranked No. 1. The area tied with Chicago for the honor in 2011.
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TTI’s Urban Mobility Report, released Tuesday, includes a “Planning Time Index,” which measures “travel reliability.” That factor designates “the amount of extra time needed to arrive on time for higher priority events, such as an airline departure, just-in-time shipments, medical appointments or especially important social commitments.”
“PTIs on freeways vary widely across the nation, from 1.31 (about nine extra minutes for a trip that takes 30 minutes in light traffic) in Pensacola, Florida, to 5.72 (almost three hours for that same half-hour trip) in Washington, D.C.,” according to TTI’s press release.
Among the study’s highlights for the D.C. area:
- D.C.’s ranks first in yearly delay per commuter at 67 hours. (That’s more than a week at the office.)
- D.C. also got the top honors for increased fuel consumption per year. Traveling in congested conditions made area drivers use on average 32 additional gallons of gas — which adds up to more than $115, based on the AAA Mid-Atlantic current average of $3.60 per gallon in Northern Virginia.
- D.C. received the top ranking in value of travel time delay per commuter, estimating the cost of congestion per traveler annually at $1,398.
- D.C. commuters also rank first in pounds of CO2 per auto commuter during congestion. On average, your car may be spitting out 630 pounds of CO2 per year while you sit in traffic.
The study is based on data from 2011, so it is too soon to tell if the recently opened Beltway Express Lanes are helping with congestion in Northern Virginia. The opening of the first phase of Metro's Silver Line in Deceember 2013 and Express Lanes on I-95 through southern Fairfax County and Prince William County may also help in future Urban Mobility Report studies.
See also:
D.C. Traffic Lightest Friday Mornings, Heaviest Friday Afternoons
McDonnell’s Transportation Bill Moves Forward
Metro Silver Line News and Updates
How's the drive from your house? Tell us in the comments.
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Genevieve Siegel
8:34 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
I love living in Arlington, but the 25 mile commute to Reston is killing me and my bank account. I am in no way surprised by this report! Traffic really lowers your quality of life. Is it worth it? I don't believe so, which is why I am moving as close to my office as I can and avoiding the congestion of 66 and the toll road all together.
Dave
11:43 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The only US city that is "recession proof" because of big govt spending, and the only road into the city from the west is two lanes. Our infrastructure has been out of date for 30 years... Let us pray that the overly utilized, overly expensive, un-trustworthy metro saves us... I'm not holding my breath! What now takes an express bus from Wiehle to the pentagon (which they are eliminating to force people to ride the embarrassing metro) will increase commutes from ~30 minutes to over an hour (probably more). Progress indeed. Why they didn't just stick to buses and increase lot sizes and frequency of routes is beyond me... Subways work in densely populated areas; not areas where people have to commute to the subways...