Is Traffic Really Improving in Seattle, as a Recent Study Suggests?
A new national traffic study places Seattle 12th worst amongst the largest 75 cities in the country, a big improvement from the 2nd worst, measured just two years ago. What is the reason for this drastic change? By all accounts, traffic remains a persitent problem in Seattle, but new traffic measurement techniques provide some insight into this improvement.
Seattle's rating improved primarily because this year researchers took into account the benefits of transit, HOV lanes and other improvements such as metered freeway on-ramps, synchronized traffic lights and incident-response programs.
Peter Hurley, executive director of Earth Share of Washington member Transportation Choices Coalition, a pro-transit group, said transit is key.
"Overall, people in the region, both drivers and transit riders, are saving tons of time and tons of money as a result of investments in transit," Hurley said. "The average person is saving about 14 hours a year, two full work days, as a result of investments in transit."
Mass-transit may be the only saving grace from the more than 56 hours wasted each year by the average commuter stuck in traffic, amounting to $1.31 billion in wasted gas in Washington alone, to say nothing of the many tons of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere due to traffic snarls. Traffic in Washington is not only wasting people's valuable time and money, but it also poses an enormous threat to our environment and world climate.
Read the entire story from the Seattle P-I:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/
transportation/142034_congestion01.html
Visit Transportation Choices Coalition's website to learn more about transit issues affecting Washington:
www.transportationchoices.org
