As The Economy Grows, So Do Commute Times

A new study released by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute shows Texas cities are seeing 50 to 60 hours of extra travel time in a given year.

By Alexandra HartAugust 27, 2015 3:55 pm

If it seems like you’ve been spending more and more time stuck in traffic, it isn’t just your imagination. The 2015 Urban Mobility scorecard just released by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute shows that, as the economy has grown over the past few years, so have commute times. There are more cars on the roads as the recession ends, and some metro areas in Texas see 50 to 60 hours of extra travel time in a year. Houston tops the list of Texas cities at 61 hours, and Austin follows pretty closely behind at 52.

Tim Lomax, researcher for the Transportation Institute, talked to the Standard about the impact of all this “wasted” time.

For full interview, listen to the audio at the top of the page.