Did Your Traffic Improve Last Year?

According to a new study out this week by research group INRIX, urban traffic congestion in the U.S. plummeted last year by 30 percent over the previous year. Angie Schmitt summarizes the surprising findings, and investigates what the cause may be.

2 minute read

May 24, 2012, 9:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Released this week, INRIX's Annual Traffic Scorecard analyzed congestion on highways in America's 100 largest cities and found that 70 metropolitan areas saw declines in their traffic congestion in the past year. "In addition to high gas prices and poor economic performance, INRIX
attributed vanishing congestion in part to a decline in road
construction brought on by the completion of most stimulus projects, as
well as uncertainty around federal infrastructure funding and anemic
local and state budgets," notes Schmitt, who raises some additional questions about the true causes for the decline.

"National declines in driving or increases in transit ridership were not mentioned as contributing factors. Still, it's somewhat mysterious. Was the economy really so much worse
in 2011 than 2010? Growth did slow down some in that time, but it was still positive. Or is something else going on here - like the 'decoupling' of driving from economic fluctuations?"

INRIX's study provides a lot to chew on. In addition to the nationwide statistics, the scorecard also ranked the individual U.S. cities with the worst traffic congestion, the most congested corridors, and the best and worst times to commute.

Summarizing the results in The Atlantic Cities, Tyler Falk reports that Honolulu has won the dubious prize of most congested city. "INRIX changed their methodology
this year look [sic] at travel time for individuals rather than overall
congestion, which rocketed Honolulu to the top of the list (from 37th
last year)." Los Angeles and San Francisco rounded out the top three. 

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 in Streetsblog D.C.

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2 - SD News

Sleeping in Public

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts

Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

May 2 - KSL

Conductor walks down platform next to Amtrak train at station in San Jose, California.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.

May 2 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO