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The researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute have recently published new estimates of the effects of traffic congestion. The trend toward increased congestion eased in 2008, likely due to effects from the Great Recession, but congestion rose again substantially in 2012. In 2014, there were 3.1 billion gallons of fuel wasted due to traffic congestion. This equates to approximately 19 gallons per commuter in 2014.
Total Fuel Wasted Due To Congestion, 1982-2014
Supporting Information
| Year | Fuel Wasted (Billion gallons) |
|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.5 |
| 1983 | 0.5 |
| 1984 | 0.6 |
| 1985 | 0.7 |
| 1986 | 0.8 |
| 1987 | 0.9 |
| 1988 | 1.0 |
| 1989 | 1.1 |
| 1990 | 1.2 |
| 1991 | 1.2 |
| 1992 | 1.3 |
| 1993 | 1.4 |
| 1994 | 1.4 |
| 1995 | 1.5 |
| 1996 | 1.6 |
| 1997 | 1.7 |
| 1998 | 1.8 |
| 1999 | 2.0 |
| 2000 | 2.1 |
| 2001 | 2.2 |
| 2002 | 2.3 |
| 2003 | 2.4 |
| 2004 | 2.6 |
| 2005 | 2.7 |
| 2006 | 2.8 |
| 2007 | 2.8 |
| 2008 | 2.4 |
| 2009 | 2.4 |
| 2010 | 2.5 |
| 2011 | 2.5 |
| 2012 | 3.0 |
| 2013 | 3.1 |
| 2014 | 3.1 |
Source: Texas Transportation Institute, 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard, August 2015. | |