Report: Public transportation reduces delays
Public transportation saved commuters millions of hours of delay and millions of gallons of gas during 2010, according to a new report from the College Station, Texas-based Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). TTI’s 2011 Urban Mobility Report, released Sept. 27, which studied traffic congestion in 439 urban areas, also concludes that relieving congestion will be critical to keep up with job growth as the economy rebounds.
The Urban Mobility Report found that, without public transportation services, travelers would have suffered an additional 796 million hours of delay and consumed 303 million more gallons of fuel. Had there been no public transportation service available in the areas studied, congestion costs for 2010 would have risen by nearly $17 billion from $101 to $118 billion.
Along with reducing congestion, public transportation offers economic benefits, according to APTA. Every $1 billion invested in public transportation creates and supports 36,000 jobs. U.S. public transportation use also produces significant energy-savings benefits. Each year, 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline are saved through the use of public transportation. “This report clearly shows [that] as our economy rebounds, expanding public transportation use is key to reducing traffic congestion,” said Washington-based American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President William Millar in a statement. APTA provided data for the report. “Even if you don’t ride public transportation, there are clear benefits in supporting expansion of public transit options. Better public transportation in your community means less congestion on the roads.” Below are the top 10 urban areas for savings in hours of delay and congestion cost savings due to public transportation use in 2010.
1. New York-Newark, N.J.; 377,069 hours and $7.9 billion saved.
2. Chicago; 91,109 hours and $2 billion saved.
3. Washington; 35,567 hours and $725 million saved.
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana; 33,606 hours and $708 million saved.
5. Boston; 32,477 hours and $662 million saved.
6. San Francisco-Oakland; 28,431 hours and $586 million saved.
7. Philadelphia; 26,082 hours and $549 million saved.
8. Seattle; 14,377 hours and $312 million saved.
9. Baltimore; 13,924 hours and $295 million saved.
10. Miami; 9,276 hours and $192 million saved.
Download the 2011 Urban Mobility Report.
