Hours stuck in traffic rising

When it comes to congestion in the Salt Lake City metro area, the hours spent stalled in traffic are rising.

In 2002, drivers experienced an average of 30 hours of delay from traffic congestion. That number increased to 31 hours in 2003 — placing Salt Lake City in the top half of 85 cities ranked for congestion in a report released Monday by the Texas Transportation Institute.

The cost of that delay: $257 million in 2003. Nationally, the cost of congestion was $63.1 billion for 2003.

Salt Lake City ranked 38th in delay per traveler, the same as in 2002 but up from 42nd in 2001 and just 53rd nationally in 2000. The total hours of congestion delay for Salt Lake City ranked it 40th in the nation, up from 41st in 2002, 43rd in 2001 and 53rd in 2000.

Brent Wilhite, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation, blames the numbers on population growth and "vehicle miles traveled." The number of miles people travel each year has increased "twice as fast" as the population," he said.

"Basically, we can't keep up with the population," said Wilhite.

The report lists several options for dealing with traffic, including mass transit, managed lanes, and building more roads and rail. The Texas study, known as the Urban Mobility Report, is released each year.

Tim Lomax, a research engineer and author of the Texas report, said Congress needs to continue debate on a bill to reauthorize funding for transportation projects. The bill, which reauthorizes the Transportation Equity Act, is effective for six years and funds transportation programs and projects.

The act originally expired in September 2003. An extension will expire on May 31.

William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, said Congress is "long overdue to do its part to meet the mobility needs of our citizens."

Also, "most Americans still do not have access to adequate public transportation," he said, "despite the benefits it provides."

Nationally, public transportation — or transit — saved 1.1 billion hours of travel time in 2003, according to the report. The number saved in 1982 was 2.7 billion.

In Salt Lake City, public transportation saved 4.3 million hours of travel time in 2003, according to the mobility report. In 1982, that figure was 96,000 hours.