The top ten urban areas across the U.S. accounted for nearly 40% of the total fuel wasted due to traffic congestion in 2011. Highway congestion caused vehicles in the combined urban areas of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to waste about 600 million gallons of fuel in 2011, more than the other seven areas combined. Vehicles in the remaining top ten areas wasted between 50 and 100 million gallons each.
Top Ten Urban Areas for Fuel Wasted due to Traffic Congestion, 2011
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Note: Wasted fuel is extra fuel that is consumed during congested travel that would not have otherwise been consumed in free-flow traffic.
Supporting Information
| Rank | Urban Area | Fuel Wasted due to Congestion (Million Gallons) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark NY-NJ-CT | 256 |
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA | 220 |
| 3 | Chicago IL-IN | 127 |
| 4 | Miami FL | 94 |
| 5 | Washington DC-VA-MD | 85 |
| 6 | Philadelphia PA-NH-DE-MD | 76 |
| 7 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | 75 |
| 8 | Boston MA-NH-RI | 67 |
| 9 | Houston TX | 66 |
| 10 | San Francisco-Oakland CA | 65 |
| Total for the Top Ten | 1,129 | |
| Total for the Nation* | 2,884 | |
| Top Ten Share of Total Fuel Wasted | 39% | |
| * 498 urban areas across the U.S. Source: Texas Transportation Institute, 2012 Urban Mobility Report, December 2012. | ||