Relax, it’s only
six minutesAccording to a national study by the Texas Transportation Institute, the average Honolulu driver spends six minutes a day stuck in rush-hour traffic.
Hello? Is there another Honolulu somewhere, pop. 250, that I don't know about?
I spend between 50 and 80 minutes a day in rush-hour traffic, round trip. Subtract from that the travel time for an equivalent round trip without congestion, about 25 minutes at worst, and I get a figure of 25 to 55 minutes per day that I consider "stuck." And I'm luckier than most.
Clearly, the Texas researchers think of "stuck" differently. They have equations loaded with terms like "roadway congestion index" that proceed quite logically from their assumptions.
So, next time you face a two-hour trip on a route that would take 20 minutes without congestion, remember, you're not really stuck.
They have the figures to prove it.
--Ken Andrade