Traffic jams are common in heavily populated areas.

Traffic congestion occurs when the volume of traffic on a roadway is high enough to become detrimental to its performance. In congested conditions, vehicle speeds are reduced, which increases drive times. These conditions are also more frustrating for drivers (see road rage), and automobile accidents may be more frequent. Furthermore, vehicles burn unnecessary fuel when stuck at idle. A period of extreme traffic congestion is known as a traffic jam. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 176 KB)Traffic jam Source: U.S. Census Bureau Source: U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office (301) 763-3030 Last Revised: July 07, 2003 at 10:19:32 AM Public domain government data. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 176 KB)Traffic jam Source: U.S. Census Bureau Source: U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office (301) 763-3030 Last Revised: July 07, 2003 at 10:19:32 AM Public domain government data. ... Road rage (also road violence) is the informal name for deliberately dangerous and/or violent behaviour under the influence of heightened, violent emotion such as anger and frustration, involving an automobile in use. ...

Background

The Santa Monica Freeway in Los Angeles is famous for traffic congestion.

In the United States, construction of new highway capacity has not kept pace with population increases and the resulting increase in demand for highway travel. Between 1980 and 1999, the total length of highways as measured by miles increased by only 1.5 percent, while the total number of miles of vehicle travel increased by 76 percent. Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10), eastbound near Robertson Boulevard, at about 2:30 pm on a typical Wednesday afternoon Taken by user Coolcaesar File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10), eastbound near Robertson Boulevard, at about 2:30 pm on a typical Wednesday afternoon Taken by user Coolcaesar File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A typical traffic jam on the Santa Monica Freeway, at 2:30 pm on a Wednesday afternoon The Santa Monica Freeway interchange with the Harbor Freeway, as seen by traffic going westbound on the Santa Monica The Santa Monica Freeway is the westernmost segment of Interstate 10, beginning at the... A highway is a major road within a city, or linking several cities together. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

The Texas Transportation Institute estimates that in 2000 the 75 largest metropolitan areas experienced 3.6 billion vehicle-hours of delay, resulting in 5.7 billion gallons (21.6 billion liters) in wasted fuel and $67.5 billion in lost productivity. Traffic congestion is increasing in major cities, and delays are becoming more frequent in smaller cities and rural areas. The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) is a department at Texas A&M University that does research on transportation to increase the safety and efficiency of vehicles (as well as roads and rails, in the case of ground transport). ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The five areas in the United States with the highest levels of traffic congestion are:

• Los Angeles
• Washington, DC
• Miami-Hialeah
• Chicago
• San Francisco-Oakland

Additionally, residents of Atlanta, Georgia have an average commute of 35 minutes. This has been attributed to the large migration of people to the city and the fact that only 5 of the 28 counties that make up Metro Atlanta have any type of public transportation. Griffith Observatory and the Downtown Los Angeles skyline. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... The Miami skyline, as it is seen from the northeast. ... Hialeah is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... San Francisco skyline. ... Aerial view looking west over downtown Oakland, Lake Merritt and the Port of Oakland in the upper left portion of the image. ... Downtown Atlanta skyline Atlanta is the capital and largest city of Georgia, a state of the United States of America. ... According to the 2000 census, the 28-county Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area has a population of 4,247,981 making it the eleventh largest metropolitan area in the United States. ...

Due to dramatic population increases, San Diego and Las Vegas have seen their congestion levels increase by more than 50 percent since 1982. City nickname Americas Finest City City flower Bird of Paradise City urban tree Jacaranda City native tree Torrey Pine Mayor Dick Murphy* City Attorney Michael Aguirre City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Scott Peters Michael Zucchet Toni... Sign just to the south of the Las Vegas Strip welcoming visitors to the city Las Vegas from U.S. Highway 93 Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada and a major tourist, shopping, vacation and gambling destination. ...

Classification

The U.S. Department of Transportation uses the following scale, based on lane occupancy, to classify traffic congestion: The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transport. ...

• 35% or higher: Stop and Go
• 22% - 35%: Heavy
• 15% - 22%: Moderate
• 0-15%: Wide Open

Attempts to alleviate traffic congestion

• Road pricing such as the London Congestion Charge, a fee levied on vehicle drivers entering the centre of the city
• Free public transport offered by the local or provincial government, see Public transport#Funding
• Setting of school opening times to avoid problems associated with the school run
• High-occupancy vehicle lanes or "carpool lanes"

Road pricing is a generic term for charging for the use of roads using direct methods, charging the users of a specific section of the road network for its use. ... The white on red C marks all entrances to the Congestion Charge zone. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... The School Run is a modern phenomenon associated with parents taking their children to school by car. ... Carpooling is shared use of a car, in particular for commuting to work, often by people who each have a car but travel together to save costs. ...

See also

• Congestion, for more general usage of the word congestion
• Gridlock
• Journey to work
• Queueing
• Rush hour
• Traffic break, the deliberate separation of traffic

Congestion is a state of excessive accumulation or overfilling or overcrowding. ... Gridlock is a term describing an inability to move on a transport network. ... The journey to work describes the mode used by, and the amount of time it takes, an individual to travel from home to work. ... Queue at US Air Force station in Iraq, for food at a birthday celebration. Queue areas are areas in which people queue (first in, first out), that is they wait in line for something. ... Other meanings: Movie starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, expansion pack to SimCity 4, shuffling puzzle by ThinkFun, album. ...

External links

• U.S. Department of Transportation (http://www.dot.gov/)
• Science Hobbyist: Traffic Waves (http://www.amasci.com/amateur/traffic/traffic1.html)