Commutes just get longer,
transportation survey finds

Spreading out in some cities
In seven of the 13 major cities, the annual delay per rush-hour traveler actually went down slightly: Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New York, Houston and Philadelphia.

Lomax said that didn’t mean congestion improved throughout each area. It probably just spread out to the suburbs.

“In most of those places, delay actually went up, it just didn’t go up as fast as the number of people moving in went up,” Lomax said.

Only job loss or major commitments to expand capacity will decrease congestion dramatically, he said.

Refusing to build more roads and transit systems won’t discourage population growth, Lomax said.

Take fast-growing Austin, Texas, for example. In 1982, the average peak-hour traveler was delayed by 11 hours a year. That delay increased to 51 hours in 2003, the report said.

“Austin didn’t add transportation capacity in the ’80s or ’90s,” Lomax said. “The ’If you don’t build it, they won’t come’ philosophy didn’t work.”

Other ways to ease commute
Congestion can also be reduced by managing traffic better. The report said such techniques as coordinating traffic signals, smoothing traffic flow on major roads and creating teams to respond quickly to accidents reduced delay by 336 million hours in 2003.

Robert Dunphy, senior resident fellow for transportation at the Urban Land Institute, said that half of all traffic delays are caused by car crashes.

“There are huge benefits to getting in there and clearing accidents quickly,” Dunphy said.

Commuters also adapt, said Alan Pisarski, author of “Commuting in America” and a transportation consultant.

“People give up and go somewhere else,” he said. “Or else they’re leaving home at 6 a.m. or 9 a.m.”

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