Americans Still Depend on Cars, Misguided Policy Worsens Traffic Woes

Americans Still Depend on Cars, But Misguided Policy Worsens Traffic Woes

   Latest Census Data Highlight Need for National Congestion Relief Program

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 Newly released census data on U.S.
commuting trends show that Americans are as dependent as ever on their cars
and that the federal government should make real traffic congestion relief a
national priority, according to the American Highway Users Alliance.
    "Despite recent claims from some pro-transit groups that Americans are
getting out of their vehicles in record numbers, the census shows that even
more commuters are traveling to and from work in their cars, trucks, and
SUVs," said William D. Fay, president and CEO of The Highway Users.  The
latest census found that an even greater share of commuters is driving to work
alone, while the percentage of commuters taking transit, carpooling, or
walking has actually declined during the past decade.
    "The census data highlight that about the only thing to change for
commuters since 1990 is the unfortunate fact that they're stuck in ever
worsening congestion," continued Fay.  The amount of time the average American
spent commuting in 2000 increased nearly four minutes per day during the past
decade, from 22.4 minutes per commute trip in 1990 to 24.3 in 2000.
    "These alarming congestion trends should be a call to action for our
elected leaders," said Fay.  "Instead of continuing to think public policy can
'get people out of their cars,' it's time to reduce the time it takes to drive
by car.  The federal government should make congestion relief a national
priority and should start by improving traffic flow at our nation's worst
bottlenecks."
    A 1999 study conducted by the respected transportation research firm
Cambridge Systematics found that -- while there is no single solution to
traffic congestion -- fixing the nation's worst traffic bottlenecks is a
critical starting point. According to the report, Unclogging America's
Arteries: Prescriptions for Healthier Highways, improving traffic flow at 167
worst highway chokepoints around the country would, over the 20-year life of
projects:

    *     Prevent nearly 290,000 crashes, including 1,150 fatalities and
          141,000 injuries;
    *     Slash air pollution in half at the bottlenecks, reducing carbon
          monoxide by 45% and smog-causing volatile organic compounds by 44%;
    *     Save nearly one billion gallons of fuel each year; and perhaps most
          importantly for commuters,
    *     Reduce travel delays by an average of 19 minutes per trip-nearly 40
          minutes per day for commuters who must negotiate a bottleneck in
          both morning and evening rush hours.

    "For the sake of improved safety, a cleaner environment, greater fuel
efficiency, and less time wasted in traffic, a national congestion relief
program is an investment worth making," concluded Fay.