Impact of Declining Mobility in Major Texas and Other U.S. Cities (431-1F)

An assessment of the freeway and major street operating conditions was performed in seven Texas cities and 22 other urban areas in the U.S. for the period o1982 to 1986. Vehicle-miles of travel and lane-miles of roadway data were collected from a variety of sources to estimate congestion on the freeway/expressway and principal arterial street systems. The values for each system were combined into a congestion index used to rank the urban areas on a relative scale. An analysis of the cost of this congestion was performed using travel delay, increased fuel consumption and increased auto insurance premiums as the economic analysis factors. The economic cost to the urban area, and to the individual resident, was estimated. An investigation of business attitudes toward urban area traffic congestion was performed in 13 of the study cities. The construction and widening of freeways and major streets in the urban areas were the most frequently mentioned improvements that would enhance business activity.