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The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), using enhanced methodology, has incorporated the latest traffic speed data into its newest report—with the results showing in increased detail the positive impact of public transportation on U.S. traffic patterns.

TTI’s 2010 Urban Mobility Report demonstrates that, without public transportation services, U.S. travelers in 2009 would have endured an additional 785 million hours of delay caused by traffic backups and consumed an additional 640 million gallons of fuel. Further, had public transportation not been available in the 439 urban areas covered by the study, congestion costs for 2009 would have risen by nearly $19 billion, from $115 billion to $134 billion.

While previous TTI reports have demonstrated the benefits of transit, this one shows that it has an even greater role than previously thought.

The report lists the New York metropolitan area as having the highest savings in hours of delay due to public transportation use in 2009, followed by Chicago; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; and Boston.

“There is no doubt that expanding public transportation use is key to reducing traffic congestion,” said APTA President William Millar. “Clearly, even if you don’t ride public transportation, it is still in your best interest to support investment in public transit. Better public transportation in your community means less congestion on the roads.”

TTI noted that its 2010 report is the first to incorporate data from INRIX, a private sector provider of travel time information for travelers and shippers, with the traffic volume data from the states. INRIX anonymously collects traffic speed data from personal trips, commercial delivery vehicle fleets, and a range of other agencies and companies, and compiles them into an average speed profile for most major roads.

The complete text of the report is available online.

 

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