Traffic congestion? It's not your imagination

Following is an article from NWREporter for August 2008. No real surprises here.



"Traffic Scorecard Ranks Seattle 9th Most Congested"

"A new study that identifies the most congested areas in the country has Seattle on its "10 worst" list and a stretch of Highway 520 as having one of the nation's worst bottlenecks."



"According to INRIX National Traffic Scorecard, released in June, traffic congestion across the U.S. increased nearly 2 percent in 2007 over 2006. Researchers concluded there appears to be no relief in sight in 2008, although higher fuel prices and the economy are affecting the rate of growth."



"The INRIX Scorecard takes a micro look at traffic problems all across the country – zooming in on the total hours spent in traffic, worst day of the week for commuting, average speeds for the top 100 cities in the U.S., and the worst bottlenecks."



"According to the study, one of the worst bottlenecks in the country is a one-third mile stretch of westbound Highway 520 near Bellevue Way, which has an average speed of 9.4 miles per hour when it's congested -- and that happens 29 hours per week. If this route is part of your daily commute, the study's analysts suggest you could conceivably get out and ride your bike faster than your car can transport you, with an average speed of only 9 mph during congested periods.
Another bad traffic area is southbound Interstate 5 at Northeast 45th Street in Seattle, a 1.46-mile stretch that is congested 46 hours per week."



"Inrix is headquartered in Kirkland and the worst traffic bottleneck in our city is directly across from our corporate headquarters -- so we're definitely feeling the pain ourselves, said Bryan Mistele, Inrix Inc. founder and CEO, in a statement."



"The fallout from heavy traffic congestion hits Americans hard on several different levels, Mistele remarked. With many drivers paying more than $4 a gallon at the pump and roads clogged with traffic congestion averaging 60 hours a week across the nation's 100 worst bottlenecks, traffic continues to have a major impact on consumers, businesses and the American economy, he noted."



"The top 10 most congested metropolitan areas in the U.S. span all regions. Not surprisingly, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago topped the list for having the worst traffic, accounting for more than half the top 1,000 bottlenecks nationwide. Rounding out the top 10 list were: Washington D.C. at #4, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, Houston, Boston, Seattle (#9) and Atlanta."



"The INRIX National Traffic Scorecard also identified unique patterns evolving out of U.S. traffic congestion:



Worst traffic day: Friday
Worst weekday Commute: Friday p.m.
Worst commuting hour: Friday 5-6 p.m.
Worst morning commute: Wednesday a.m.
Best weekday for traffic: Monday
Best weekday commute: Friday a.m.
Best weekday commuting hour: Friday 6-7 a.m.
Best weekday afternoon: Monday p.m."