Traffic, what a horrible time and gas waster!
Everybody hates traffic. But, that doesn't stop each and every one of us from getting stuck in it from time to time, does it? Especially if you live in L.A., the city with the worst traffic of all. How bad is it? According to a study performed by the Texas Transportation Institute, rush-hour drivers in L.A. spend an extra 72 hours a year on average stuck in traffic. Other major offenders are the metropolitan areas of San Francisco/Oakland, Washington, D.C./Virginia/Maryland, and Atlanta, where drivers spend about 60 hours in traffic during peak hours. It gets worse, too. No matter where you live, traffic increased in 2005, according to the study.
Obviously, this is a terrible time waster, but it's also a horrible waste of gas, with 2.9 billion gallons of extra fuel used up in 2005, for a total cost of $78 billion. As gas gets more expensive, this figure will rise. Of course, if your car does not idle, you are using less gas. Also, this is where hybrids and electric cars have a huge edge, as they can rely on battery power while slowly moving along in gridlock.
So, whatcha gonna do about it? See here for some suggestions and to see what is being done now. In the meantime, perhaps you should move to the Mojave Desert, where traffic is mostly non-existent. Just a thought.
[Source: Texas A&M University]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 8:37PM (9/19/2007)
I think the PHEVs will have a greater effect than the "experts" realize once they are widely accepted. Unfortunately, that will take some time.
Reply
philmcneal 8:42PM (9/19/2007)
that's why i bought the prius, to lessen the blow when i'm stuck in traffic.
Reply
Dan Barahona 12:11AM (9/20/2007)
Maybe we should introduce a third mileage rating. We already have City and Highway mpg. How about "Traffic MPG". I.e., how many miles per gallon does a vehicle get at 5mph, or stop and start pattern of 30 seconds at 0, 30 seconds at 15mph. Hybrids would see very little decrease from their City ratings, whereas traditional gas cars/SUVs would truly reveal their inefficiency. Hmmmmm...
-dan
http://www.solar4sf.org
Reply
Atul 12:32AM (9/20/2007)
This is one reason that living in the big cities damages the environment more than living in small to moderate sized cities. I would say this is still true even when these cities have good public transportation systems. Also, think of all the extra pollution that gets inhaled. Stop-start technology does and would help here if implemented in more vehicles. Perhaps the government should subsidize companies to create aftermarket stop-start kits for many vehicles.
Atul
http://www.thingsivenoticed.com
Reply
Atul 12:46AM (9/20/2007)
Add to that, the fuel used during the time that it takes drivers to find a parking spot and it gets outrageous. Somebody should do a study to look at average fuel economy of residents of various metro areas.
Reply
Tony Belding 8:39AM (9/20/2007)
When you look at this report, it really makes a case for the Tango, doesn't it? If a lot of commuters were driving narrow EVs (of whatever type), it would not only save fuel and reduce air pollution, but it could reduce congestion on the roads and free up parking space.
Reply
GoodCheer 1:26PM (9/20/2007)
"This is one reason that living in the big cities damages the environment more than living in small to moderate sized cities."
I think that living IN a big city is not the problem. The problem is in working in a big city and living NEAR the city. Many of the people I know who live in New York almost never drive because it's expensive and impractical. The same is true of about half of my friends in Boston.
It has been suggested (and it makes sense to me) that if the price of a parking space was made to reflect the local property value (for 8' x 22'), almost nobody would commute into the city. I would also point out the generally positive reception London's congestion charge has received. There certainly are solutions to the problem of congestion that don't require abandoning cities. I would even suggest that HEVs and EVs aren't the best of them, though they do take care of a lot of other problems.
Reply
FURYk 1:42AM (9/21/2007)
Or unless your like us bikers
http://www.bikerpunks.com/media/596/Lane_Splitting_In_LA/
Reply