DC Region has Worst Traffic in the U.S.
Before the pandemic, the DC region was consistently ranked as one of the most congested metropolitan areas in the United States. Now a new report from Consumer Affairs shows we have officially regained our title as home of the worst traffic in the country.
How are DC area leaders handling the news? By pushing forward a new transportation plan that increases total regional hours of delay by 70%.
That is not a typo. By 2050, delays across the entire DC region will increase by 70% – or 645,000 daily hours of delay – while average delays per trip increase by 46%. That means you can look forward to more time stuck in traffic and less time with your family and friends.
But that is not just an increase over today’s horrific traffic, it is also a significant increase from the transportation plan that regional leaders approved just three years ago. When compared to the region’s current transportation plan – Visualize 2045 – DC area residents will see a 22% increase in total hours of delay and a 13% increase in delays per trip.
So why the dramatic increase? Because the Transportation Planning Board has made a concerted effort to remove roadway improvements from the region’s long-range transportation plan with the goal of reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMTs). As a result, roadway lane miles across our region will only increase by 3% over the next 25 years while the total population increases by 21%. This lack of investment in our transportation infrastructure will have real consequences for our community.
For example, DC area residents will see a 5% drop in the number of jobs accessible within a 45-minute drive. That translates into 50,000 fewer jobs that will be accessible on average. And according to the most recent State of the Commute Survey, 61% of Greater Washington residents with household incomes under $60,000 rely primarily on driving to get to work. That means fewer jobs and opportunities will be accessible for DMV residents who need them the most.
Furthermore, when it comes to achieving the goal of reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMTs), the impact of these changes is negligible. The DC region will still increase total daily VMTs by 15% above today’s levels in the new plan compared to a 15.4% increase in the old one. In other words, we have traded a 0.4% decrease in VMTs for a 22% increase in delays and a 5% decrease in job opportunities for DC area residents who rely on automobiles to get to work.
But it does not have to be this way. We can and should make strategic improvements to our roadway network that will move more people, expand access to jobs and opportunities, and bring in more revenue for transit and active transportation improvements.
For example, the Southside Express Lanes project would decrease regional delays by 3% or 25,000 daily hours of delay – and increase the number of jobs accessible within a 45-minute drive by 1% or 10,000 jobs on average. And the project doesn’t just pay for itself, it also brings in additional revenue to fund transit, bike, and pedestrian upgrades. The Transportation Planning Board has an opportunity to add this project to the region’s transportation plan in October – but only if they hear from YOU.
Contact the Transportation Planning Board TODAY to let them know a 70% increase in regional delays is unacceptable and to add more multimodal transportation improvements that reduce congestion – like the Southside Express Lanes.