Traffic may be getting worse, but it’s a good indicator of a rebounding economy.
That’s the latest from Kirkland-based traffic data company INRIX, which just released its sixth annual Traffic Scorecard Annual Report. The company found that after two years of declining traffic congestion, including a 22 percent decrease in 2012, gridlock is increasing through the first few months of 2013.
“Fears over recurring fiscal deadlines and ongoing debt issues last year likely fueled declines in traffic congestion, with businesses and consumers alike taking a ‘wait and see’ approach,” Bryan Mistele, INRIX CEO, said in a press release. “While bad news for drivers, the gains we’ve seen in the U.S. and a few countries in Europe in 2013 are cause for some optimism about the direction of the economy.”
INRIX also calculated the top 10 worst traffic cities, and noted that drivers wasted an average of 42 hours in gridlock during 2012:
Read the full story at the source: Taylor Soper, Geekwire,