The good news is 2008 saw a major decrease in traffic, with drivers in the 100 largest metropolitan areas dealing with a 29% decrease in congestion on average. The bad news is we're seeing it because of an increase in gas prices, which led to less driving and more carpooling, and a decrease in jobs, which led to more people sitting on the couch hoping their unemployment doesn't run out so they can afford to keep their benefits. It's a vicious circle. Much like the pain we're seeing in these community-by-community breakdowns of the most congested intersections in these 20 most congested metro areas.

1. Los Angeles	2. New York	3. Chicago	4. Dallas Fort Worth
5. Washington, D.C.	6. Houston	7. San Francisco	8. Boston
9. Seattle	10. Minneapolis-St. Paul	11. Philadelphia	12. Atlanta
13. Phoenix	14. Miami	15. San Diego	16. Denver
17. Baltimore	18. San Jose	19. Detroit	20. Riverside-San Bernardino

Though traffic does correlate to population rank, with the top four metropolitan areas also in the four worst cities for traffic, there are some anomalies. The Washington, D.C.-Arlington-Alexandria area is only the eighth most populous region in the country but is the fifth worst when it comes to traffic due to its high capacity of employment in the area and the lack of good housing stock for middle class families within "The Beltway" area.

Detroit is 11th largest in terms of population but only has the 19th worst traffic situation, primarily because of a 47% decrease in traffic year-over-year due to the economy and dramatic job loss. The collapse of the housing market hit Riverside-San Bernardino, a.k.a. the Inland Empire, hardest of all. The area saw a drop of 57% in traffic congestion, which is almost the same as the 55% drop in median home prices. While there's probably not a 1:1 ratio between the change in home values and congestion, they're likely connected.

Areas less affected by the housing market still experienced decreases in traffic, but at a lower level. For instance, home prices in Dallas remained stable and traffic congestion only decreased by 13% year-over-year, causing Dallas to move up to the fourth most congested city.

Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago are, as expected, still the worst cities for traffic in America. Los Angeles is so bad that peak hour congestion in Los Angeles is twice what it is in Chicago. The combination of a large population and low density makes L.A. even worse than the more populous New York. Compared to the Big Apple, Los Angeles also has fewer mass transit options.

Click on any of the cities above to see their current rank, population, congestion change and worst time of day for traffic. You can also view a gallery of the 100 worst intersections that fall within each city. A look at the hotspots reveal a few similar trends: intersecting highways, two-lane sections with onramps and merging lanes.

If you're reading this post it means you've actually made it home or made it to work. Congrats. There's probably someone still stuck in traffic.

[via Forbes, Google Earth]

The odds are good you've battled your way through some version of hell on this morning's roadways on the way to your cubicle. But maybe you don't have it so bad; unless you're unfortunate enough to live near one of these monstrosities. Partake in some delicious schadenfreude as you look down upon these poor commuting schmucks.

Now, you're probably asking, "Hey Andy, where's that Mustang model you promised?" Well, it ain't gonna be that easy. The Rules start below:

The Concept: You're given four wacky intersections below under the cleverly named "Contest Intersections" heading. Your job is to scan Google Earth and find exactly where these places are located.

The Submission Format: Your entry must be emailed to Didorosi@Jalopnik.com before December 15th at 11:59PM. Contained within the email must be four working Google Earth links to each of the four locations. Subject line on the email must be, "Worst Intersection Contest Submission: I Love El Caminos" Any deviation from this format or late entry will not be accepted. Any attempts at RickRolling will result in a swift kick to the man vegetables.

Winning: Prize is one 2010 Ford Mustang toy model. Standard contest rules apply.

Best of luck.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot:

Special Disqualification: Dearthair is disqualified from this contest simply because I don't like the cut of his jib. Just kidding. Have at it.

[DarkRoast]

Actually you can hardly blame them for letting this one go by. It may be a cop-out, as one Bloomberg spokesman claims in the Reuters report, but there are tons of reasons not to start erecting tollbooths everywhere. It's basically a tax on people living in New York's other four boroughs, which would also see a substantial traffic increase. It would lead to greater wear and tear on New York's already overburdened mass transit system without providing additional funds for upkeep. There's also some question of whether it's fair to New Jersey and Connecticut drivers. Meanwhile, Manhattan traffic continues to resemble the world's slowest, most dangerous, and — since it's mostly taxis — yellowest stock car race.

According to the study, which involved putting students in driving simulators, we simply lack the ability to do many tasks at once and the cell phone thus slows down the calculations you can make. For instance, when you're listening to your friend Mel tell that story about how Brenda dumped Mark because he was "into pee" you just missed an important lane change. Was it really worth it? [AP via Yahoo]

ZAP Electric Car Gets A Free Ride In London

Electric car pioneer ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) says that owners of its ZAP Xebra electric city car commuting into London can save so much on parking, charging and tolls that it could help pay for the car within a year.

London is expanding the number of charging stations, according to recent news reports. The London Evening Standard said that Westminster council is putting in 10 roadside posts following a trial of two in Covent Garden. About 50 more will be installed in 13 of its car parks. Funded by Transport for London, the Energy Savings Trust and EDF Energy, users have to register with the council and pay a one-off fee to cover administration costs after which charging is free. Colliers International estimates parking in London to cost US$55 per day. With free parking, charging and no congestion tolls, the incentives start adding up.

"If you do some quick math on the incentives for electric cars, the numbers are staggering," said ZAP CEO Steve Schneider. "Assuming there are no parking, charging or congestion toll charges for your electric car, the car will be saving an estimated $50-80 per day and could pay for itself within one year." [See Graph]

Graph
Costs of Gas Car vs. Electric Car in London with Incentives
Gas Car Electric Car
———- ——————
Parking $55/day $1.54/day
Congestion Toll $16/day $0/day
Fuel $12/day $0/day*
——————————————————————————
Daily Total $83 $1.54/day
Annual Total $21,580 $400
(260 days/yr)

Sources: Parking: $55/day average according to Colliers International; London Charging/Parking Permit approx. $400 (http://www.electricparking.com)

Congestion Toll: $16/day according to BBC

* Fuel: Gas: $12/day to drive 40 miles (Assuming 25 MPG, UK gas approx. $7.48/gallon as of 1/2/2008); Electricity = No charge under free charging station program, not including home charging approx. $0.85/charge

The ZAP Xebra is one of only three electric cars approved for use on UK roads. The car and truck are manufactured through a strategic partnership between ZAP, the designer, and a Chinese automaker. ZAP is selling the cars worldwide for a little over US$10,000. With a top-speed of 40 MPH, the Xebra is available in a four-door, four-passenger sedan or two-passenger truck with a convertible tilting bed for dumping or flatbed use. ZAP markets the Xebra to fleets and city-speed commuters. ZAP is designing a range of electric and hybrid vehicles, from freeway capable electric cars, to buses, trucks, and even smaller electric scooters, bicycles, ATVs, mopeds and more. [MarketWire via Fox Business]