U.S. Traffic Dramatically Worse Since '82

NPR | By John Nielsen

Published September 9, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT

In almost every big city in the United States, traffic is terrible and likely to get worse, according to a new study from the Texas Transportation Institute. In 1982, the average driver spent 16 hours stuck in traffic. That number is now at 42 hours a year. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

John Nielsen

John Nielsen covers environmental issues for NPR. His reports air regularly on NPR's award-winning news magazines, All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition. He also prepares documentaries for the NPR/National Geographic Radio Expeditions series, which is heard regularly on Morning Edition. Nielsen also occasionally serves as the substitute host for several NPR News programs.

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