The latest Urban Mobility Report was issued Thursday by Texas A&M and reflected a relationship between the economy and the environment.
The study shows that as the unemployment rate rises, traffic congestion decreases and billions of gallons of fuel are saved.
There is some simply logic here: with less people working, there are fewer cars on the road which leads to more efficient commutes and ultimately, less wasted fuel.
When unemployment was at its lowest point last decade in 2006, commuters spent 5.25 billion hours in traffic and wasted 4.19 billion gallons of fuel per year. When unemployment spiked to 9.3 percent in 2009, time spent in traffic dropped by 8 percent and fuel waste went with it.
The report also indicates that all that congestion is negatively impacting the freight industry. If trucks are held up in traffic jams, shipments are delayed and additional costs are incurred. Congested commutes not only cost commuters in aggrivation and fuel, but they cost freight companies more in overtime wages and late fees.
Of course, no one is suggesting that high unemployment is a solution to climate change. The study should be viewed as an example of how the economy and the environment can grow together.
