I guess it is obvious but I found it odd that increase in congestion is correlated with an increase in jobs, so traffic jams are a sign of a healthy economy.
http://www.inrix.com/pressrelease.asp?ID=1193
By analyzing traffic in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas in 2012,
INRIX revealed that drivers wasted an average of 42 hours in America’s Top 10 Worst Traffic Cities – the equivalent to one week of vacation. The table below represents the Top 10 Worst Cities for Traffic in America in 2012:
Rank City Hours Lost in 2012 % Change 12vs11 % Change Q1 13vsQ1 12
1 Los Angeles 59 -9% +6%
2 Honolulu 50 -23% +4%
3 San Francisco 49 -7% +3%
4 Austin, TX 38 +3% +8%
5 New York 50 -17% +10%
6 Bridgeport, CT 39 -19% +16%
7 San Jose, CA 31 +6% +13%
8 Seattle 35 -10% -11%
9 Washington DC 41 -18% -5%
10 Boston 31 -22% +30%
Los Angeles is back at the top of the list in 2012 after falling to number two in 2011 (behind Honolulu). This is likely due to the fact that Los Angeles County gained approximately 90,000 jobs in February 2013 – a growth rate of 2.3 percent. This is the fastest year-over-year growth in employment across the Los Angeles area since the recession began in 2007 .