Yes, traffic really is getting worse
Baltimore Sun
Beltway makes Baltimore congestion 16th-worst in nation
That economic strength has vaulted Baltimore's congestion level past that of several formerly booming cities of comparable size. During the four-year period when Baltimore climbed from 21st to 16th, hard-hit San Diego fell from 12th to 17th and similarly afflicted Riverside, Calif., dropped from 13th to 18th. Both areas rank just above Baltimore in population.
While Maryland commuters have it bad in some ways, their woes don't begin to match those in the nation's most congested areas.
None of the nation's 100 worst traffic bottlenecks are in Maryland, and none of the top 1,000 are in Baltimore. Los Angeles, New York and Chicago - which together accounted for 88 of the 100 - were the three most congested areas.
The Washington region ranked fourth-worst in congestion, up from sixth in 2008, but had none of the top 100 bottlenecks.
Of Baltimore's worst bottlenecks, only two were not on the Beltway - southbound Interstate 895 at Moravia Road and the northbound Baltimore-Washington Parkway at Canine Road near Route 32.
Jason Rashad, who lives in Baltimore and commutes to the Goddard Space Flight Center, said traffic generally slows to 15 to 20 mph during peak hours along that stretch. Rashad, who recently relocated from Detroit, said he can understand that happening in a snowstorm.
"But the rain? I don't understand why the traffic slows to a halt when it's just a little drizzle," he said.
