| Conditions and Performance
Chapter Listing
Conditions and
Performance Home Page
Introduction
Summary
Highway
Operational Performance
Transit
Operational Performance
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Highway Operational Performance
Operational performance is defined by how well highways accommodate travel
demand. Congestion, therefore, is an indicator of poor operational performance.
Recent newspaper stories about "road rage" highlight the escalating
problem of congestion in the United States. Congestion may contribute to a
sense of frustration and hostility on highways, but it also has more specific
measurable costs for American drivers. The Texas Transportation Institute's
(TTI) 1999 Urban Roadway Congestion Annual Report estimates that in the
68 urban areas studied in 1997, drivers experienced 4.3 billion hours of delay
and wasted 6.7 billion gallons of fuel. Total congestion cost for these areas,
including wasted fuel and time, was estimated to be about $72 billion in 1997.
Almost 60 percent of that cost was experienced in the 10 metropolitan areas
with the most congestion. Exhibit 4-2 shows the 20 urban areas with the highest
congestion costs, according to TTI.
Exhibit 4-2. Total
Congestion Costs by Urban Area, 1997
Congestion has an adverse impact on the American economy, which values
speed, reliability, and efficiency. Transportation is a critical link in the
production process for many businesses, and firms are forced to spend money on
wasted fuel and drivers' salaries that might otherwise be invested in research
and development, firm expansion, and other activities. The problem is of
particular concern to firms involved in logistics and distribution. As
just-in-time delivery increases, firms need an integrated transportation
network that allows for the reliable, predictable shipment of goods.
Congestion, then, is a major hurdle for businesses in the developing economy.
| Q What is the Federal
Highway Administration view of the reports produced by the Texas Transportation
Institute on Urban Roadway Congestion? |
| A The Texas Transportation
Institute has studied congestion in a number of cities in the Nation annually
since 1982. This is the most significant continuing study being done on
congestion in the United States. In order to attain the substantial
achievements of this study, TTI has used a straightforward, simple procedure to
define congestion and to estimate the costs of congestion to the public. The
TTI studies have provided usable measures of congestion in a large number of
metropolitan areas in the Nation, combining measures of congestion delay,
incident delay, and fuel consumption. FHWA commends TTI for its contribution to
the knowledge base of congestion and believes that the results are useful as
measures of the trends of congestion and its costs in the metropolitan areas.
Future research may provide the means to further refine this type of study.
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