The 2009 Urban Mobility Report by the Texas Transportation Institute documents congestion costs exceeding $87 billion in 2007, more than $750 for every American traveler. All told, congestion wastes 2.8 billion gallons of fuel -- three weeks' worth for every traveler -- an 4.2 billion hours; equivalent to an extra one-week vacation each year. But being stuck in traffic is hardly a vacation. This year's Report tracks a quarter century of traffic patterns in 439 U.S. urban areas from 1982 through 2007.
The Report emphasizes the distinction between “average” and “important” trips as
crucial to understanding the role of the solutions described in the next few pages. Some strategies reduce congestion for all travelers and at all times on every day. Other strategies provide options that some travelers, manufacturers or freight shippers might choose for time-sensitive travel. Some solutions target congestion problems that occur every day and others address irregular events such as vehicle crashes that cause some of the longest delays and greatest frustrations.
To "vehicle crashes," we'd add "snow and ice events."
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