Slow Ride: Columbus commuters spend 40 hours/week in gridlock
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Central Ohio commuters are spending a lot of time and money stuck in their cars.
Researchers at Texas A&M University’s Transportation Institute say Columbus-area drivers have the worst commute in the state, wasting an average of 40 hours in gridlock each year, more than twice as much as 20 years ago.
The cost of lost gas and work time is $847 per commuter, or $753 million across the region.
The study, which looked at 2011 data, shows the average commute time in 2001 was 35 hours and cost $835 million, compared with 18 hours and $344 million in 1991.
The average Cincinnati commuter wastes 37 hours in gridlock each year at a cost of $814-dollars per commuter.
Cleveland drivers spend an average of 31 hours in gridlock every year.
