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Houston's traffic jams, even during COVID, are a case of good news-bad news

Getting stuck in traffic is a case of good news, bad news says traffic analyst company INRIX.

HOUSTON — Roads cleared out when most of the country worked from home last year, but Houston didn’t — at least not as much.

A new study from the company INRIX, which provides mobility analytics and connected car services, says Houston is the 8th worst city for traffic congestion. We were at number 11 last year.

But the key here is that most every other major city saw traffic drop off. Houston did as well, just not as much as everyone else.

For example, trips to downtown Houston dropped 50%, but around the rest of Houston, traffic only dipped 25%.

“That showed that while downtown Houston was pretty heavily hit by the pandemic and office closures and things like that, the rest of the region really felt a little bit less so. So traffic picked up a little bit more regionally,” says INRIX’s Bob Pishue.

The transportation analyst says congestion is a double-edged sword: yes, the traffic is a pain for those who are stuck in it, but it also means the economy is working.

“Sitting in traffic, not moving is basically wasted fuel. Right. And fuel has a negative fuel. Burning has negative effects for the environment and general quality of life. Losing time is a negative. Any time that you're spending, you know, staring at the bumper in front of you is less time with your family and friends and loved ones," says Pishue.

That gas and time lost, it all adds up to $1.5 billion dollars for the city of Houston. That boils down to $523 per driver.

What’s the worst stretch of road in Houston? You can use whatever metrics you want — the traffic, the potholes, the crazy drivers. Text us at 713-526-1111.

More info from INRIX:

INRIX, the global leader in mobility analytics and connected car services, published its annual Global Traffic Scorecard, which identifies and ranks congestion and mobility trends in more than 1,000 cities across 50 countries. The study found that Houston ranked among the Top 10 most congested cities in the U.S., with the average commuter in the metro area losing 35 hours due to congestion.  

Key findings of this year’s Scorecard include:

•    Congestion alone cost Houston residents $1.5B, an average of $523 per driver.

•    Ranked #11 in congestion in 2019, Houston climbed to the 8th most congested city in the country in 2020.

•    New York City (100 hours), Philadelphia (94 hours), Chicago (86 hours), Boston (48 hours) and Los Angeles (45 hours) rounded out the Top 5 most congested cities in the U.S.

•    Average Americans lost on average 26 hours due to congestion in 2020, down from 99 hours in 2019, resulting in savings of $51 billion or $983 per driver. 

•    Washington, D.C. (29 hours) saw the largest decrease globally in congestion, down 77% compared to last year.

•    Drivers in Bogota, Columbia lose 133 hours a year, ranking it as the most congested city in the world.

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