Traffic in America

Averages are so much more succinct when they're spread out over the year. Consider this.

Commuters in Los Angeles experience the worst congestion in America, resulting in an average delay of 72 hours per year. It was followed by Atlanta, San Franscisco, Washington and Dallas.

Personally, having been born and bred here, I'm used to the traffic. I don't like it, but I'm used to it. We're lucky enough to live in Santa Monica which means we're usually driving against traffic, though we're not immune. I know that going anywhere after 3PM is a gamble. And there had better be a really good reason to brave traffic once 5PM rolls around because there is no question as to the severity of traffic. I don't like driving far on Thursdays or Fridays. This is my life.

But traffic is bad everywhere, and its only getting worse. More people are commuting farther distances on an aging network of highways that aren't built to sustain this level of traffic. And many cities, Los Angeles included, have mediocre public transportation. The whole thing spells disaster.

Happy Driving!