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Annual report finds Houston traffic is slowest in Texas
The traffic-analysis company Inrix releases its Global Traffic Scorecard, each year, comparing drive times around the world, in more than a thousand cities. In its latest report. Houston is the 9th worst among U.S. cities and the slowest commute in Texas.
HOUSTON - Houston's commuters likely wouldn't be surprised to learn a new report finds that Bayou City traffic is among the worst in the country.
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The traffic-analysis company Inrix releases its Global Traffic Scorecard, each year, comparing drive times around the world, in more than a thousand cities. In its latest report. Houston is 9th worst among U.S. cities and has the slowest commute in Texas.
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Ask any local commuter, and drive-time in Houston exacts a price in patience, time, and money.
The Inrix report notes the average Houston commuter loses 74 hours, more than three days, stuck in traffic at a cost of $1257 in time and fuel costs.
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David Schrank studies traffic at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and says we shouldn't be surprised.
"Texas is growing, as a whole, so Houston is getting its fair share of that growth. With growth, comes more pressure on transportation."
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The panel discusses the constant in-flow of revenue for public works and the current state of the city's roads and how they are not in fact "drivable".
Schrank says a steady influx of new residents, along with a wide return of workers back to offices, means highways will be full. However, it could be worse.
The Inrix report finds today's Houston commute is still 8% faster than it was just before the pandemic, in 2019.
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With more people living here, that seeming disconnect comes from a change in office habits, that have upended traffic patterns.
"Because of 'work from home', and the days that people choose to go into the office, now, we've got to figure that out," says Schrank. "That's going to put additional pressures out there and change the reliability of the system."
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The reliability challenge means more construction to add capacity on the city's highways, a growing reliance on mass transit options, like METRO's METRORapid buses and light-rail expansion, along with technology like some popular apps that help commuters know about slow spots to avoid.
"Texas has got to use everything in the kitchen sink because it is going to experience the growth," says Schrank.
To add some context for Houston commuters, Chicago has the 2nd-worst commute in the world, behind London, with 155 hours spent in traffic.
At the other end of the spectrum, Amarillo, Lubbock, and Abilene have the near-fastest commutes in the world.
You can look at the full Inrix 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard by clicking here.