Drivers in Los Angeles suffer the most from commuting, according to a new survey from IBM. But wherever they drive, commuters in U.S. metropolitan areas are fed up with longer commutes, higher fuel prices and increased pollution.
The first IBM Commuter Pain Survey, conducted by IBM’s Institute for Electronic Government, surveyed 4,000 drivers around the country. Among its findings:
- 25 percent will reconsider driving if fuel prices near $4.00 per gallon (and 46 percent, if prices near $4.50).
- 19 percent say traffic has had a negative impact on work or school performance, and that reaches 27 percent in Los Angeles (the highest).
- 45 percent report increased stress (above 50 percent in Dallas, Los Angeles and Miami), and 28 percent reported increased anger (36 percent in Los Angeles, the highest).
- 63 percent say traffic has gotten worse in the last three years, and 24 percent think it has gotten much worse.
- 27 percent report that traffic has been so bad within the last three years that they turned around and went home. This figure is highest in Miami (33 percent) and Los Angeles (32 percent).
“Traffic is choking our cities and our economy, causing a significant drag on productivity and reduced quality of life,” said John Nyland, Managing Partner, IBM Public Sector, and responsible for the company’s Intelligent Transportation initiatives. “To reverse this trend, we need a systemic approach that incorporates everything from new congestion management technologies to effective work-at-home programs that can ultimately improve environmental and economic conditions in our cities.”
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