It’s officially not your imagination — the roads in our area really did get much less congested thanks to the pandemic.
Transportation analytics company INRIX released its annual study of traffic in major cities, and with so many government employees, contractors and other professionals working from home, the D.C. region’s traffic dropped significantly.
In fact, traffic dropped so much in 2020, that the Washington, D.C. metro area dropped out of the top 10 for “worst traffic” in the nation. The Washington region was ranked #5 in 2019 and dropped to #12 in 2020.
Nationwide, traffic delays fell almost 50 percent in major cities, saving U.S. drivers nearly 75 hours sitting in traffic compared to 2019. Traffic collisions dropped by 30 percent nationwide, but with increased vehicle speeds, there were more fatal accidents than in 2019.
In Washington D.C., traffic delays dropped 60 percent from 2019 to 2020. The biggest declines were last year in March, April and May. Traffic rebounded a bit in the summer and early fall last year before dropping off again in October 2020 through the winter holiday season.
“COVID-19 has completely transformed when, where and how people move. Government restrictions and the continued spread of the virus led to shifts in travel behavior seemingly overnight,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Morning commutes in cities across the world went without delay as people reduced auto and transit travel to offices, schools, shopping centers and other public spaces.”
As more people get vaccinated against COVID-19, INRIX experts predict traffic will start creeping back toward "normal" this spring — something Alexandria residents are already starting to see.
