There's More Than One Kind of Gridlock in DC

Yeah, I noticed again this morning...

Gridlock has increased its stranglehold on the region, as a national study released yesterday showed that Washington area residents spend an average of 69 hours a year in traffic jams at a cost of $577 per commuter.

The Washington area had the third-worst traffic congestion in the United States, behind Los Angeles and San Francisco, for the fifth year in a row. For those keeping score, local motorists spent an additional three hours a year in tie-ups, and the region closed the gap between second and third place, the study said. For commuters, the results of the study confirmed what they knew: Already unpredictable commutes are even less predictable, and things aren't getting better.

"This is like the Olympics of gridlock," said Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "And I think our leaders have it wrong. I think they think we should be going for the gold. This is not an honor for which we should be proud."

The best part is, the roads in DC are horrific. And yet the region just keeps getting more crowded. The flip side is the fact that my home gets more valuable by the day.