Denver gridlock sits at unlucky No. 13 in U.S.
| July 8, 2009 | 12:23 PM
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Everyone’s heard horror stories about driving in the big cities on the coasts, in particular the traffic jams that stretch for miles and turn your average highway into a parking lot.
Well, apparently, we here in Denver don’t have a lot of room to talk.
According to the 2009 Urban Mobility Report (based on data from 2007), Denver ranks 13th-worst in the nation in rush-hour traffic congestion, with drivers spending about 45 hours per year stuck behind the wheel. That’s actually one hour more than drivers in New York City. And it’s considerably higher than the national average of 36 hours.
Drivers in Colorado Springs fare better, ranking No. 54 with 23 hours. Boulder is near the bottom of the list, coming in at No. 76 with 12 hours per year, but that’s still twice as high as the city with the lowest congestion: Wichita, Kan., where drivers spend only six hours a year in rush-hour jams.
There is some good news for Denver: That 45 hours per year we spend in traffic is down from 48 hours in the previous report (based on data from 2006), matching a trend seen across the nation. It seems that when gas prices go up, driving goes down.
And when all the numbers are crunched, 2008 may show an even greater decrease thanks to the peak in gas prices, the report indicates. The decline is expected to be short-lived, though, as gas prices have stabilized and more drivers return to the roads.
The gridlock report is produced annually by the Texas Transportation Institute.
boulder, congestion, denver, mobility report, rush hour, texas transportation institute, traffic
