Skip to main content

Traffic Everywhere

In this episode – Traffic Everywhere . . .

Our commute in California has recently increased from a local 5-minute drive to an hour-long trip on the California freeways. This made me wonder about the extent of traffic congestion on today's roads. With more cars on the road than ever, it's no wonder many end up stuck in traffic.

Over 90% of American households own at least one car, so chances are you have been in a gridlock a few times. What causes traffic congestion, especially those sudden jams? Is traffic getting worse, and how much time do we spend in traffic? Here are a few facts about traffic that can help answer some of these questions.

According to INRIX, a traffic analytics firm, in 2022, the average time Americans spent in traffic was 51 hours. While this may seem like a lot, the United Kingdom had it worse, with an average of 80 hours of traffic delays. In addition to the time lost, Americans also had to bear an average of $546 in fuel costs due to traffic delays. These figures represent a significant increase from the previous year. However, it’s important to note that the year-on-year increase may not be particularly meaningful without additional context.

First, If you drive, you may have experienced “phantom traffic jams,” where there seem to be no accidents or construction, but you still come to a stop. Experts call these jams "jamitons." You can help prevent them by avoiding tailgating. When one driver suddenly slows down or brakes, the next driver does the same to avoid a collision, creating a wave lasting up to 1000 yards. To avoid phantom traffic jams, studies suggest that you should keep an even distance between the car in front of you and the one behind you, without tailgating, but while keeping an eye on the rearview mirror. This way, drivers have more space to adjust their speed gradually, reducing the likelihood of creating a jamiton.

If you have ever driven in Los Angeles or its surrounding freeways, it's obvious how bad traffic congestion can get. However, unlike other cities, Chicago's traffic has worsened since 2020. According to INRIX's annual global rankings, it is now the most congested city in the United States by a significant margin. The average commuter in Chicago spent 155 hours in traffic delays in 2022. On a global scale, Chicago is almost tied with London, which INRIX identified as the highest-traffic city in the world.

It gets worse – in August 2010, a terrible traffic jam outside Beijing (China) lasted for 11 days. The jam was caused by a construction project and too many cars on an already overcrowded freeway. The stretch of the jam was around 60 miles long, and some individual cars were stuck on the road for more than five days. Local villagers used the situation by selling food and water to drivers at a much higher price, including water bottles marked up to around ten times their original price. Although officials estimated that the jam could have lasted a couple of weeks longer, thankfully, that did not happen. However, major traffic jams continued to be a problem in the area.

My solution is to leave early to avoid the frustration of traffic jams. It's important to stay calm and enjoy the drive, knowing you will get there when you arrive. You can also make the most of your time in the car by using your car as your personal university on wheels. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks, learn a new language, or enjoy your favorite music.

There’s traffic everywhere–and yes, we must learn how to deal with it.

I’m Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

The Compass of Cuba: Mom

🎄  Preview of this week's  On the Fly  blog: A Holiday Tribute to Mom. As the holidays hustle with pixels and beeps, the world scrolls along in a smartphone-y sleep. I log off for a moment—just one little minute— To breathe in the past and to sit myself in it. My mind doesn’t wander to faraway places, Or trips full of tickets and new airport faces. Instead, it drifts backward, as memories do, to Cuba, Illinois, where the best moments grew. To a home full of warmth, in the wintry Midwest, Where my mother—dear “Marcie”—put love to the test. With a smile that could melt the most frigid of dawns, and hugs that hung on you like shivering fawns. She came from La Rochelle in France, brave and bright, Across oceans and war shadows, into new light. A town full of strangers soon felt like her own, And her courage built up the foundation of home. “Oh yes, we know Marcie!” the locals would say— “It's Doc Ball’s French lady! She brightens the day!” She cleaned, and she cooked, and sh...
2 comments
Read more

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths  here,  to-dos  in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just  cannot  be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we  blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming,  and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!"   Just trust, and  you’ll  see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...
1 comment
Read more

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . .   You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...
3 comments
Read more

A Holiday Reflection–Mother's Love

In this episode,  How a Mother’s Love Built My Memories– A Holiday Reflection As this holiday season approaches and the world buzzes with shopping, planning, and busy schedules, I find myself embracing something wonderfully simple: taking a moment to pause. Not to check off a list or recharge devices, but to breathe deeply, remember fondly, and honor the person and place that have shaped my sense of home long before I had the words for it. This year, after regaining my strength from a lingering post-travel fog, my mind didn’t wander to exotic destinations or future adventures. It drifted backward—across oceans and time—to Cuba, Illinois, in the early 1960s, and to the woman whose love built the foundation of my world: Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom . We came to Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition so dramatic I only appreciate its enormity now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped off that plane and into the Midwest with a courage that s...
1 comment
Read more