What Is Traffic's Real Cost? Was not the internet, working at home, and GPS units with traffic alerts going to reduce vehicular traffic? Many assumed less cars will be on the road for Rush Hour, because of all our modern technology. Well, maybe more cars would be on the road if we didn't have Face Time, Skype, or alternate route info, yet a recent study perhaps fails to map out the true cost of traffic.
The study by INRIX and the Centre for Economics and Business Research tells us that sitting in your vehicle, when stuck in traffic, is costing the average household in America, $1,700.00 a year in fuel and time. Yes, that old adage, "time is money" also comes into play here because all this wasted time will cause an increase in the cost of goods.
The study by INRIX and the Centre for Economics and Business Research tells us that sitting in your vehicle, when stuck in traffic, is costing the average household in America, $1,700.00 a year in fuel and time. Yes, that old adage, "time is money" also comes into play here because all this wasted time will cause an increase in the cost of goods.
"Each American stuck in traffic will spend an average of 111 hours per year sitting in it"
Los Angeles is the number one American city for the most traffic and each American stuck in traffic will spend an average of 111 hours per year sitting in it. Forecasters say traffic will only get worse and the study concluded that the cost to Americans stuck in car jam ups last year was $124 Billion dollars.
I beg to differ... Where are the costs to our environment and our physical health from air pollution? Los Angeles may come in first for the most traffic, but don't they also come in first for the most smog? Additionally, being static in your car doesn't eliminate noise pollution! What about dripping oil leaks onto the roadways due to owners neglecting their car's maintenance? That oil will eventually wash, with the rain, into our water systems!
Then there is all the costs to our mental health. You may have seen people stuck in traffic sticking there heads out the car windows and yelling something like, "Get me out of here!" or perhaps, "I can't take it anymore!"
On the surface, this study appears it didn't go the full mile, the work didn't go the distance and it hit a wall half way to the true cost of traffic. So please, do the most you can to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Better still, take public transportation whenever you can. Save yourself money, time and our environment. Thank you.
Bill Lauto, GTG
Environmental Scientist at
GoingTrueGreen.com
Contribute your comments!
I beg to differ... Where are the costs to our environment and our physical health from air pollution? Los Angeles may come in first for the most traffic, but don't they also come in first for the most smog? Additionally, being static in your car doesn't eliminate noise pollution! What about dripping oil leaks onto the roadways due to owners neglecting their car's maintenance? That oil will eventually wash, with the rain, into our water systems!
Then there is all the costs to our mental health. You may have seen people stuck in traffic sticking there heads out the car windows and yelling something like, "Get me out of here!" or perhaps, "I can't take it anymore!"
On the surface, this study appears it didn't go the full mile, the work didn't go the distance and it hit a wall half way to the true cost of traffic. So please, do the most you can to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Better still, take public transportation whenever you can. Save yourself money, time and our environment. Thank you.
Bill Lauto, GTG
Environmental Scientist at
GoingTrueGreen.com
Contribute your comments!
