Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee
Here in Cali, especially in Santa Cruz county, the traffic is HORRIBLE and the economy is too, I'm told.  |
That's quite a ways from the 10,000 lakes!
My observation (far from Scientific) is that traffic has improved. For example this month, I made it into Detroit without significant delay, and through Cincinnati (with construction) without coming to a stop, both during rush hours (in years past, unheard-of). Back home in KC, the 3rd snowiest Winter on record, combined with accidents / gawkers slow down highway traffic, but overall flow is smooth otherwise.
In the US, we also have to consider the Economic Stimulus and consequent construction. In my travels, infrastructure improvements are noted to be common, with highway lanes down or diverted. This generally creates the notion of congestion.
My guess is that there's a temporary (available) boost in available capital from lenders -- so the end consumer has more in the budget to hit the road. This could mean skipping car-pooling or giving up on public transit.
RH77