This is an extended version of the eight categories of the Basic Human Dignity Needs Holistic Index, with over 600 sub-categories.
Basic Human Dignity Needs include:
HOLISTIC INDEX
LAND USE PLANNING - TRANSPORTATION - Traffic
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From: http://www.msnbc.com/news/973844.asp?0cv=CB10#BODY
Jam nation: Study sees longer commutes
Annual survey finds average driver wasting 51 hours a year
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Sept. 30 -- If it seems like more of your time is spent stuck in traffic, you may be right. In U.S. cities large and small, the daily struggle with bumper-to-bumper traffic is getting worse, according to a study released Tuesday. The average rush-hour driver wasted 51 hours sitting in traffic in 2001, the Texas Transportation Institute said in its annual mobility study.
THE PRICE tag: $69.5 billion in wasted time and gas, said the study, which looked at 75 urban areas.
"Congestion extends to more time of the day, more roads, affects more of the travel and creates more extra travel time than in the past," the study said.
Study co-author David Schrank told MSNBC.com that the time stuck in traffic was based on a 25-minute, one-way commute. Using that benchmark, the
authors calculated that drivers wasted 51 hours a year waiting instead of moving.
On a per capita basis, i.e. figuring in non-drivers as well, that average is 26 hours, four hours more than in 2000, he said. A similar comparison for driver-only
hours is not available as earlier studies didn't look beyond per capita figures.
The report found that the average rush-hour driver in Los Angeles spent about 90 hours waiting in traffic in 2001, far more than anywhere else.
The San Francisco-Oakland area was next at 68 hours, followed by Denver (64), Miami (63) and Chicago and Phoenix, which tied for fifth (61).
The study also found that:
59 percent of major roads are congested compared to 34 percent in 1982, when the survey was first taken.
The number of hours of the day when congestion might be encountered has grown from about 4.5 hours to about 7 hours.
The authors did, however, note that public transportation, traffic signals on freeway entrance ramps and other congestion-busting measures have kept a bad
situation from getting even worse.
For example, traffic signal coordination aimed at smoothing the flow of cars, trucks and buses saved commuters 16 million hours, the report said.
The study found some areas of the country where gridlock eased. The average delay dropped for commuters in San Antonio, Texas; Fresno, Calif.; and
Pensacola, Fla. Still, more improvements are needed, the report said. Among the recommendations: more roads to handle increased demand, additional bus and
car pool lanes, and adjusted work hours for commuters.
In response to criticism about its earlier studies, the institute, located at at Texas A&M University, for the first time factored in improvements that cities are
making, such as traffic light coordination and ramp metering, as well as the benefits of public transportation, study co-author Tim Lomax said.
Data from the Federal Highway Administration and information from various state and local agencies was analyzed by the researchers to come up with the rankings.
Report details and other background will be placed on the institute's Web site at
tti.tamu.edu.
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