Traffic congestion dips as economy plummets

William Atkins
Thursday, 26 February 2009 21:51

Science - Energy

According to the INRIX National Traffic Scorecard, there was a 30% decrease in major-city traffic congestion in 2008. So, there’s less traffic jams during your drive back and forth from work; assuming, that is, you have a job and are driving on these highways across the United States.


INRIX, Inc., headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, is a provider of traffic information to the United States.

The INRIX article “INRIX National Traffic Scorecard Reveals Startling 30 Percent Decrease in Traffic Congestion in 2008” is a summary of its second annual INRIX National Traffic Scorecard.

FYI: Its corporate overview statement says, “INRIX is the leading provider of real-time, historical and predictive traffic information offering the broadest coverage, exceptional accuracy, innovative technologies and a unique approach to ensuring the success of our customers' navigation and traffic-enabled solutions.”

The article states that its Scorecard study ranks the 100 worst congested cities in the United States.

However, for 2008, it found that most of these cities saw large declines in traffic congestion, which it says it primarily due to a “tumbling economy” and “fuel price volatility.”

The Scorecard showed that there was a “30 percent decline in traffic congestion in 2008 during the peak periods on major roads in urban America.”

During off-peak hours, the reduction in traffic congestion was even bigger—with a 36% decrease.

Page two talks about the only city to increase congestion, and the worst continuing traffic bottleneck (for both years of the study) in the country. Do you have to contend with one of these two problem areas?