In new study of time wasted in traffic, Boston gains an hour
National institute does the math
Boston’s ranking fell in a national transportation survey, but that’s not a bad thing. The region fell from number 18 to number 19 in traffic congestion in the most recent study of urban traffic patterns.
It may be hard to believe after a series of major incidents paralyzed highways on Monday, but automobile commuters have been wasting a little less time in traffic, according to an influential study from the Texas Transportation Institute being released today.
The study, which examined data from 2007 for 28 metropolitan areas, shows a national decline in congestion, which the authors attribute to high gas prices in that period and the beginning of the current recession. In Boston, the completion of the Big Dig may also be a factor, though other data have shown that the project, overall, shifted traffic patterns more than it reduced congestion.
Boston area commuters wasted an average of 43 hours in 2007, compared with 44 hours in 2006 and 46 hours the year before that, according to the study. The area is tied with Seattle in wasted hours and fares a little worse than Chicago, where car commuters wasted a mere 41 hours. To determine wasted hours, the authors count the time drivers spent going slower than they would if traffic flowed freely.
Nationally, the average was 31.6 hours in 2007, a drop of about 30 minutes from the previous year. Los Angeles ranked number one, with an average of 70 hours wasted. Indianapolis was at the bottom of the list, with 39 hours.
“I don’t necessarily worry too much about a one or two point change in rankings, because the motorist who’s driving or traveling is not going to necessarily say ‘We’re now better than this city,’ ’’ said David Schrank, coauthor of the study. “What they notice is big changes in their travel.’’
Schrank said he believes 2008 and 2009 data will show similar drops in travel time, given the weak economy. Not every driver will notice a difference, but those who travel on the edges of rush hour may detect a little more time to spare, Schrank said.
Even though the last few years have shown a dip in Boston commuting times, the overall trend is brutal. Commuters wasted just 12 hours in 1982, when the records begin.
Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com. 
