As global traffic jams mount, cities try new ways to ease congestion: study

Overall, time lost in traffic cost the U.S. economy an estimated $88 billion last year, INRIX calculated using labor market and wage statistics.

On a global scale, the five most congested cities are Bogota, Colombia, Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Turkey’s Istanbul and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Overall, the most congested cities are either older or rapidly growing, the report showed.

INRIX collected and analyzed anonymous, aggregated location data from car makers, mobile apps and freight fleets.

Trevor Reed, INRIX transportation analyst and author of the report, said congestion fees in London, Sweden’s Stockholm and Singapore have significantly reduced car traffic…

Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America, a policy organization that includes U.S. cities and transit authorities, said studies should also measure the impact of public transit and other transportation modes, including biking and walking.

The group on Thursday published a report finding that costly expansions of U.S. highways over the past 30 years failed to decrease congestion.
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