Metro Atlanta's traffic congestion falls with economy

It seems a weak economy has at least eased the pressure on metro area commuters a bit.

Roads in metro Atlanta were less clogged for the fifth year in a row, according to the nation’s premier traffic congestion report, expected to be released Tuesday.

Drivers might not be thrilled. The average driver still wasted 43 hours in metro Atlanta congestion last year, a regional loss of $2.5 billion, according to the new report, Urban Mobility, published by the Texas Transportation Institute. Though that's an hour better than 2009, it's worse than the national average, 34 hours.

Metro Atlanta ranked 13th in the nation, down from fifth worst in 2005, when the average driver here wasted 58 hours in traffic.

The report’s co-author, Tim Lomax, said Monday that the economy was probably the main reason for the decline. When economic times are bad, people commute less, shop less, are more economical with their travel and generally make fewer trips.

Another reason for Georgia’s improving congestion is likely innovative solutions such as HERO units that clear accidents, the Georgia Navigator congestion monitoring system that warns drivers to stay away from choked highways, and ramp meters, the flashing lights at highway ramps that regulate entering traffic.

Congestion is down nationwide, with average wasted hours per driver falling from 39 hours in 2005 to 34 in 2010. But in Georgia, the economy is even worse than the rest of the nation’s, with unemployment about a percentage point higher than the national average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.