SoCal drivers face nation’s worse traffic congestion

SoCal drivers face nationÆs worse traffic congestion Despite pushes to carpool, use the $7.3 billion light rail system, and adopt flex hours, Southern California traffic congestion continues to grow and area drivers continue to spend more time in traffic than any other motorists in the nation, according to a report released Tuesday.
   The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana area had the largest 'travel time index,' a comparison of travel time during peak traffic conditions versus travel time during 'free flow' conditions, according to the 2007 Urban Mobility Report by the Texas Transportation Institute.
   The report, which examined 2005 data from across the nation, found that congestion in all metro areas continues to grow, creating a $78 billion drain on the economy from lost work hours and wasted fuel. The report found that American commuters as a whole lose 4.2 billion hours and waste 2.9 billion gallons of fuel annually.
   Commuters in two California counties — Los Angeles and neighboring Orange '- face worse rush-hour traffic congestion than motorists in 13 other 'large urban areas' of the country. The report defines 'large urban areas' as those with populations greater than 3 million.
   TTI experts found that traffic congestion causes the average motorist in the Southern California region to spend an extra 72 hours a year on the road, wasting an average of 57 gallons of gas. The report found that the national average was 38 hours and 26 gallons in a year.
   Second place for the highest travel time index goes to the Chicago area, followed by San Francisco-Oakland, New York-Newark, and Miami.