California Cities lead the way in Higher Congestion Costs, According to a Study by Gavop

Gavop, an insurance research service driven by data, has published a study that rounds up the top ten cities in the U.S. based on the most and least congestion costs (per auto commuter). The study finds that five out of the top ten cities (with most congestion costs) are from the state of California. San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles are some of the cities that have found their way into this infamous list. What constitutes congestion costs are the excess costs incurred by the commuter over the costs that would have occurred had the traffic been free-flowing.

Gavop has used the data published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to arrive at this conclusion. The data reveals an increase in the annual congestion cost (per auto commuter) in the country. The study attempts to compare the congestion costs of these cities to ten cities with the least congestion costs in the country. The study takes into account multiple factors that contribute to these costs. The cost categories include:

• Travel Time Cost
• Vehicle Operating Cost
• Emission Cost
• Un-reliability Cost

Congestion costs are hidden costs that are relegated to the margins but seem to have a major influence on the lives of auto commuters. For example, congestion could lead to delay in freight movement, which in turn causes a chain reaction of delays in productivity. USDOT had earlier reported that traffic congestions have continued to increase rapidly, with the delays increasing from 14 hours in 1990 to 38 hours in 2005.