Memorial Day Gridlock Still Expected

Statement by Janet Kavinoky, Executive Director, Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008; The following is a statement by Janet Kavinoky, Executive Director of Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition:

"Travel experts predict economic uncertainties and higher gasoline prices will translate into fewer motorists hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, a small reduction in holiday travelers won't translate into a significant drop in congestion. The 2008 forecast echoes those of previous years: Expect gridlock.

"A temporary dip in holiday drivers matters little when our transportation system is overworked and under-funded. One-third of our major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, 27 percent of the nation's bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and use of public transportation is up, but investment is down. A report by the Transportation Research Board found a $50 billion annual gap in the funding needed to maintain the nation's highway and transit systems and a $100 billion funding shortfall to improve these systems. Combine a jump in traffic of 40 percent between 1990 and 2005 with a capacity increase of just two percent and the results are predictable. Nobody is going anywhere fast.

"Congestion, unfortunately, is not just a problem over holiday weekends. Congestion has become the monster that threatens our quality of life, our safety, the economy and the environment. Thirty-six percent of America's urban highways are congested. Congestion costs drivers $78 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs. Americans spend 4.2 billion hours a year stuck in traffic, away from friends, family and community. While car engines are idling, they are polluting, spewing thousands of tons of carbon dioxide into the air every day.

"Congestion won't just disappear. We must adopt a national strategy to address an aging transportation system that simply lacks the capacity to move people and goods. National problems demand national solutions. We must increase federal investment in our roads, bridges and public transportation. Otherwise, we will never tame the congestion monster."