Transpo Institute's Study Says Dallas-Area Drivers Actually Better Off Now Than in '07

At the stroke of midnight this morning, the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M released its annual Urban Mobility Report, which promises a look at "the most accurate picture yet of traffic congestion in the 439 U.S. urban areas." Long story short, after two years of slight declines in the...

By Robert Wilonsky

January 20, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

At the stroke of midnight this morning, the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M released its annual Urban Mobility Report, which promises a look at "the most accurate picture yet of traffic congestion in the 439 U.S. urban areas." Long story short, after two years of slight declines in the number of people on the road and the hours spent idling on the road to nowhere, "Economic recovery bringing renewed congestion growth."

Thing is, compared to the '07 report, things have actually improved in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: Back then, area drivers were delayed by congestion 58 hours per year, which put us fifth on the list; now we're only wasting 48 hours behind the wheel annually, which drops the DFWA down to seventh behind such cities as Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Houston. And we're wasting less gas now -- 38 gallons annually, as opposed to 40 in '07. Also: A trip that should take 20 minutes actually takes about 24 -- we shaved two minutes off that number in a little more than three years.

That's but a wee bit of the info available: Here you'll find all seven pages of the DFWA data -- from fuel costs to an inventory of arterial streets. Read it on your drive to work this morning.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.