Worcester Traffic Gets Scored On Global Report

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Think the commute into Worcester is tough each morning? A global report of the leading metro areas of the world breaks down some significant trends and Worcester ranks amongs the leaders globally for increasing traffic.

The new global report released by INRIX stacks up all the most congested intersections in the world. The commute on I-290 did not make the top ten worst on the globe or even the U.S., but Worcester did rank among the worst for one category.

According to the report, "Death, taxes and traffic are often called the three certainties of life. At social gatherings, traffic and its impact to our lives is a common topic."

Boston's I-93 North bound ranks the worst road in New England and 22nd in the country for most congested.

The downside for Worcester in this year's ranking is that the City is ranked among the top cities for increased congestion.  According to the report, Worcester ranks 13th for increased traffic congestion for the year.

More concerning is the rate of increase of congestion is getting worse for Worcester compared to other cities in the U.S. Worcester ranks 7th in the U.S. in March, 2013. 

Last Year The Report Ranked Worcester #1

Drivers in Worcester waste less time on the road than commuters in any other metropolitan city, a recent traffic congestion report showed. The INRIX Index showed that for 2011, drivers wasted only 11.7 hours sitting in traffic all year, compared with the 51.2 hours for Honolulu, the city ranked as the most congested.

Global Trend Not Good for US

The global trends unveiled show that the U.S. is an outlier - traffic congestion keeps getting worse:

• The U.S. is trending opposite of global congestion in 2013: Traffic congestion fell 18 percent across Europe in 2012 and continues to spiral downward in 2013, with a further 23 percent decline in the first quarter. Eighty-one of the 94 European cities analysed have experienced decreases in traffic congestion in Q1 2013.

• Not all congestion is created equal: In 2012, the worst travel corridors in the U.S. can cost their drivers 62 hours a year from sitting idle in gridlock, almost twice the national average (38 hours).

• Traffic as an indicator of economic health: When examined with employment data from 2012 and 2013, the Scorecard shows how observed shifts in traffic congestion serve as a key indicator of economic health.

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