More Jobs, More Traffic: Survey Links Economic Recovery, Gridlock
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — If you dread sitting in traffic now, wait until Americans really start getting back to work.
Researchers say the country is headed for gridlock when employment picks up after a new study finds traffic congestion is getting thicker in Los Angeles as well as some of the nation's busiest metropolitan areas.
While it's no surprise that L.A. still has the worst traffic congestion in the nation, the national survey by traffic information firm INRIX says the problem is getting worse: drive times at 5:30 on Thursday afternoon in the city take 71 percent longer than normal.
Dave Rizzo, a veteran of Southern California traffic tie-ups who goes by the name of "Doctor Road Map", tells KNX 1070 things will only get worse when the millions of jobs lost during the recession return to the nation's cities.
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INRIX says despite only modest employment gains last year, drivers are experiencing a 10 percent increase in travel times on average.
Los Angeles tops the list of cities with the worst traffic congestion, followed by New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia and Seattle.
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