BALTIMORE (March 26, 2006) -- Almost everyone who drives in the Baltimore area has a favorite story about traffic. Every driver knows where the slow spots in the morning and evening commutes are likely to be. People aren’t just imagining that traffic is getting worse. A study by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, using aerial photography to record traffic on major highways, shows just how bad things are in many areas, and where and how recent projects have contributed to improved conditions in other areas.

BMC contracted with Skycomp, Inc., of Columbia, MD, to record traffic on 575 miles of highways in the Baltimore region. In the spring of 2005, several aircraft followed flight patterns along these routes. Each highway segment was photographed a total of 24 times during peak morning and afternoon commuter hours. Skycomp conducted the same aerial photography traffic study for BMC and the Maryland State Highway Administration in 1999 and 2002.

A comparison of the 1999, 2002 and 2005 studies confirms that congestion is getting worse. More of the region’s highway system is rated as failing, while congestion is building on a growing percentage of highways.

The following table lists highway segments that were generally not congested in 1999 and are now congested to severely congested.

However, recent infrastructure and traffic management improvements have eased congestion in several areas.

This study illustrates the findings of the Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Study. According to the TTI, between 1982 and 2003 the daily vehicle miles of travel in the Baltimore region more than tripled, from 8.5 million miles to 26 million miles, while the number of freeway lane miles less than doubled, from 885 miles to 1,530 miles. In 1982, TTI ranked the Baltimore region 31st worst nationally on its travel time index, measuring annual person-hours of traffic delay. In 2003 the Baltimore region was 14th worst. The TTI calculated the annual dollar cost from traffic delays in the Baltimore region to be $33 per person in 1982, increasing steadily to a staggering $458 per person in 2003.

As our population, and associated economic activity, continue to grow, congestion is expected to grow as well. Additional investments in our highway and transit systems will be required to keep up with this demand. TTI estimates that 109 additional lane miles and 180,000 daily transit or carpool riders will be needed just to maintain current levels of congestion.

"The photographs produced for this study are worth far more than a thousand words," said Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens, who serves as chair of the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board. "They can help direct millions of dollars in future transportation improvements that will keep traffic moving in the years ahead."

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council conducted the Commuter Traffic Survey in conjunction with the Maryland State Highway Administration and Maryland Transportation Authority. Survey graphics and photographs have been arranged in an interactive format and are available at www.baltometro.org. For further information, contact the Regional Information Center at 410-732-9570 or Skycomp at 410-884-6900.