Massachusetts’ Traffic Problem is Getting Worse and May Impact the Olympics

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

GoLocal and FindTheBest

One challenge facing nearly all Massachusetts residents is their commute time to get to and from work. The impact is profound and the cost in lost productivity is expensive and getting worse.

Boston is known as a traffic nightmare and it is one of the key issues facing the Commonwealth’s Olympic bid.

Worcester traffic can be a challenge too and is not immune from lost productivity.

According to data from GoLocal’s data partner FindTheBest and a review of data compiled from the global research firm INRIX, Boston area commuters face among the worst traffic in North America.

SEE INRIX INTERACTIVE TOOL BELOW

The Worst Communities

Boston commutes are not only among the worst in North America, they are getting worse and have a dramatic adverse impact on productivity.

According to the most recent data on INRIX, Boston has the greatest increase in time wasted in traffic - Boston (38 hours, up 7 hours from 2012).

“The largest increase was in Boston (+22%), likely a result of the Boston metropolitan area experiencing employment growth in line with the national average just over 2 percent (2.1%),” wrote INRIX.

Olympic could overwhelm Boston

Fear of Traffic Impacting Olympic Bid

One of the biggest fears for all Olympic bids -- and then operationally, the event itself -- is the impact on traffic. For a city like Boston that already suffers from serious gridlock, one of the biggest concerns voiced by Boston-area residents is the fear of gridlock.

Olympic Games economist, Andrew Zimbalist of Smith College, wrote in his book, Circus Maximus.

Except in special cases, however, the promised benefits are not forthcoming. Equally troublesome, to prepare for the games the host city often must clear land, which frequently means relocating communities and jobs; hire migrant labor; divert resources away from important social services; and borrow billions, encumbering future tax dollars. Along the way, local communities experience congestion and pollution in the name of constructing venues and infrastructure that may have little or no effective use after the games and that may charge admission prices well beyond the reach of the common person’s budget.

Advocates Call for Change

On June 20, Transportation for Massachusetts weighed in on the need to enhance the transportation infrastructure to meet existing demands as well as a potential Olympic bid, “In 2015, Massachusetts does not have the revenue in place to fund our well-established regional transportation needs, even apart from the extraordinary demands of hosting the Olympics. Nor is funding sufficient to meet other needs throughout the rest of the state."

"After decades of underfunding, every region of the Commonwealth needs improved transportation, and we cannot retreat from delivering on this need – with or without the Olympics," continues the group. "As a result, the Olympics will not be able to merely rely on existing funding and plans for transportation improvements.”

Transportation for Massachusetts is a coalition of organizations working to create safe, convenient, and affordable transportation choices for everyone in Massachusetts.

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Related Slideshow: 60 Most Dangerous Intersections in New England - 2014

Using the most recent available data, GoLocalWorcester has compiled a list of the Most Dangerous Intersections in New England.

See the methodology here

Since different states chose different time spans in which to accumulate their data (3-10 years), GoLocal standardized the tallies to a 3-year sum.

Massachusetts’ Traffic Problem is Getting Worse and May Impact the Olympics

Related Slideshow: 60 Most Dangerous Intersections in New England - 2014

#60

Seymour, CT

#59

Wethersfield, CT

#58

Vernon, CT

#57

Hudson, NH

#56

Tilton, NH

#55

Nashua, NH

#54

Nashua, NH

#53

Salem, NH

#52

Bridgeport, CT

#51

Concord, NH

#50

Williston, VT

#49

Manchester, NH

#48

Concord, NH

#47

Berlin, VT

#46

Bridgeport, CT

#45

Nashua, NH

#44

Burlington, VT

#43

Waterbury, CT

#42

Portland, ME

#41

Portland, ME

#40

Manchester, NH

#39

Portland, ME

#38

Westbrook, ME

#37

Wallingford, CT

#36

Berkshire, VT

#35

Williston, VT

#34

Augusta, ME

#33

Burlington, VT

#32

Hartford, VT

#31

Burlington, VT

#30

Augusta, ME

#29

Winooski City, VT

#28

Augusta, ME

#27

Lowell, MA

#26

Hartford, CT

#25

Holyoke, MA

#24

Lowell, MA

#23

Lewiston, ME

#22

Bangor, ME