Given the several hours a week I spend sitting in I-95 traffic as a frequent commuter from Fairfield to Stamford, I often come to the conclusion — as I repeatedly shift from second to third gears — that the traffic can not be good for the local economy on so many levels. Since there are so many different levels to address and so little time, I shall tackle one with which perhaps most of my fellow weary roadway sloggers can relate — the stress and frustration caused as a result of said traffic. Speaking for myself, sitting in traffic for an hour amidst hundreds of other cars while traveling from 0 to, let’s say, 20 miles an hour causes significant stress and frustration that most likely has an impact on productivity. I’m just guessing, mind you, but assuming I’m correct and the same is happening to many of my fellow commuters, I shudder to imagine the effect traffic is having on the local economy. Add an accident to the scenario — as often happens — and other work-related problems occur. One of my colleagues told me that the traffic has caused her to be late for appointments and regularly takes away from time she could be giving to the company. Again, not good for business. Motorists in the Stamford-Bridgeport corridor — the sixth most congested area with populations of 500,000 to 1 million — faced the worst traffic congestion of 90 cities in 2007, according to the Texas Institute’s Urban Mobility Report. The study revealed that each driver was delayed about 33 hours in 2007. Yikes. This afternoon, I tried to contact someone from the Connecticut Department of Transportation for the agency’s take on the matter. I wasn’t able to reach anyone and had to resort to leaving messages and sending e-mails, so please stay tuned. Who knows? Maybe they left early in an effort to beat the traffic.
Financial Mines
News and notes from the business reporters for the Connecticut Media Group.
