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Congestion also influences where they choose to live and where they work. In 2003, in Washington, DC, congestion robbed the average commuter of 69 hours. This is the equivalent of nearly workweeks every year that could have been spent with family or friends, volunteering in the community, pursuing a hobby, or even simply resting. Commuters in other major cities report similar losses.

The business community understands congestion. Retailers, manufacturers, and shippers have to adjust their operating practices to compensate for time wasted in traffic. Because of congestion, transporting goods and services to their destinations takes longer.

The associated surprise factor makes congestion even more problematic. Individuals must allow more time to arrive at important appointments. When calculating the time to travel to a given location, they must add a "buffer factor." Often, this means that they arrive early and, once again, must wait.

Businesses interested in just-in-time delivery also must allow a buffer factor. In recent years, the high levels of economic prosperity that this country has enjoyed have been built on the efficiencies of just-in-time delivery. Finely tuned production and distribution systems have enabled companies to operate with tight margins and therefore a competitive edge. Boxes of toothpaste no longer sit in storage rooms waiting for the tubes on the store shelves to be sold. Rather, the retailer and manufacturer know when a tube will be sold and more will be needed. The toothpaste is shipped to the retailer so that it will arrive just in time. Some manufacturers have built their marketing plans on just-in-time delivery. Computers are built to order, for example, and shipped only days after an order is placed. When just-in-time delivery schedules are not met, consumer prices increase and services decrease.

Dependable freight transportation enables businesses to be responsive to changes in demand, reduce product cycle times, and decrease inventory holdings.

A Time to Act

Dissatisfaction with the effects of traffic congestion is growing. Not only is congestion increasing in major cities, it is spreading to medium-size communities as well. In many cities, congestion is becoming a subject of political debate.

In October 2006, Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters summed up the challenge: "Mobility is one of our country's greatest freedoms, but congestion across all of our transportation modes continues to limit predictable, reliable movement of people and goods, and poses a serious threat to continued economic growth. Congestion no longer affects only roads in larger urban areas, but is spreading across America."

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The community of transportation professionals has developed methods and technologies to reduce congestion by making the transportation system operate more efficiently. This issue of Public Roads focuses on the traffic congestion problem and the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Congestion Initiative.

Recognizing the growing issue, the USDOT leadership chose congestion reduction as a top transportation priority. In May 2006, USDOT announced the National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's Transportation Network (otherwise known as the Congestion Initiative). This initiative focuses on meaningful, near-term reductions in congestion.

The Dimensions of Congestion

Congestion usually is defined in terms of excess vehicles on a portion of roadway at a particular time resulting in speeds that are slower--sometimes much slower--than normal or "free flow" speeds. Travelers experience congestion as unintended stopped or stop-and-go traffic. Congestion in the top 85 urban areas (in terms of population) has grown in the past 20 years--in duration, extent, and intensity.

According to Tim Lomax, a research engineer with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), "Since we began analyzing congestion data back in 1982, congestion has grown in pretty much every dimension."

The duration of congestion has increased from 4.5 hours to 7.0 hours per day from 1982 to 2003. Specifically, duration is the percentage of the day with speeds below a threshold of 72 kilometers per hour, kph (45 miles per hour, mph) on a freeway, for example, and 48 kph (30 mph) on an arterial. Peak periods typically stretch for 2 or 3 hours in the morning and evening in metropolitan areas above 1 million people. Larger areas can see 3 or 4 hours of peak periods.

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The extent of congestion has grown from 33 to 67 percent of highway travel from 1982 to 2003, indicating that congestion affects more of the transportation system. Many cities, such as Los Angeles, CA, or New York City, NY, have a few sections of road where any daylight hour might see stop-and-go traffic. Weekend...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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