In June I had a post about INRIX's study that placed the Twin Cities as the 13th most congested metropolitan area in the United States based on 2007 data. INRIX is releasing an update to their report today which looks at travel data from January through June of 2008. A few highlights from the press release:
- 96 of the nation’s top 100 markets (by population) had
drops in traffic congestion levels in the first half of 2008 compared to 2007,
with a 3% nationwide average decrease in travel times during peak
hours - 75% of Midwesterners decreased their amount of driving,
compared to those in the Northeast (60%), South (67%), and West (61%) [Harris
Interactive survey] - The average retail price of gasoline increased dramatically from $2.29
in January 2007 to $4.09 in June 2008, however prices began to plummet
in the third quarter with an average of $3.30 during the week of
October 10, 2008 - Those making less than $35K were most likely to have decreased their
driving 76%, compared with 68% of those earning $35K to $74.9K, to just
57% for those earning $75K and higher - "It is fascinating to see the disproportionate response that the impact
of gas prices has on traffic, particularly how consumers changed their
behavior more in markets like Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and
throughout the Midwest. You would think that major metros with
significant public transit infrastructure such as in NYC and D.C. would
have shown a much stronger correlation with gas prices through
increased ridership,” said Bryan Mistele, INRIX founder and CEO.
"Although we can't predict the future price of fuel, we can predict the
potential impacts to traffic congestion. As a whole, the population
appears to have made lasting changes to their behavior, which we expect
to persist at some level even if gas prices revert to pre-2007 levels.”
The full report hasn't been released yet, so you'll have to check it out later today or tomorrow to see where your metropolitan area lands in the rankings.
