Slower Speeds, Longer Trips and Wasted Fuel
America's Commute
Traffic congestion is a big waste of time, money and productivity. Here's what Americans lose as a result of sitting in gridlock:
$78 billion
annual drain on the U.S. economy
4.2 billion
lost work hours
2.9 billion
gallons of wasted fuel
Source: Texas Transportation Institute, 2007 Annual Urban Mobility Report
In a Jam
Traffic. It's a fixture of the modern metropolis. It increases blood pressure, heightens stress, damages the environment, slows the economy, and prevents us from getting where we need to go.
Time Magazine recently named Bangkok, Thailand "The Capital of Gridlock." But there are many fierce contenders, including Sao Paulo, Cairo, Mexico City and Los Angeles - cities in which it is common for workers to commute more than three hours just to get to their jobs.
The challenge facing cities in the twenty first century is how to reduce congestion and the environmental and social degradation it causes.
Key Facts
the average commute in the United States
percent of Americans that commute by car
average commute in Bangkok
