If you can believe it, there are many cities across the country with worse traffic than Baton Rouge. So says the fifth annual Traffic Scorecard from Inrix, a traffic-data analysis service, which doesn’t place Baton Rouge anywhere among the top 10 most congested cities. Honolulu took top spot in the index as the city with the worst road congestion, which analysts say is equal parts curse and blessing. Baton Rougeans don’t need to be told how frustrating it can be to sit in extensive lines of stalled traffic, but as much as motorists dislike traffic it can also signal a booming economy. A crowded road can mean deliveries are up, fuel prices are down and vacationers are spending money. Based on this conventional thinking, analysts say a decline in congestion may be indicative of an economy in shaky health. According to the index, 70 of the country’s 100 most populated cities experienced an overall decrease in traffic congestion last year compared with 2010. In total, congestion in U.S cities was reduced by 30% on the year. The company gauges traffic conditions from municipal data and live traffic information from fleet vehicles, as well as navigation devices and users of traffic applications. “I think we’re seeing it here in the traffic numbers, the stop-and-go economy,” says Bryan Mistele, president and chief executive of Inrix, in an interview with The New York Times. Mistele notes the results of the latest index bear an eerie similarity to the company’s 2008 scorecard, which contained all the earmarks of an economic slowdown. Check out the complete index ranking of the U.S. cities with the worst roadway congestion here.
Today’s poll question: Do you think traffic congestion in Baton Rouge has improved over the past year?
