According to a newly issued report, the average American spends almost a full work week each year trapped in traffic, burning up an extra 26 gallons of gas. The Texas Transportation Institute's 2007 Urban Mobility Report estimates the cost of this problem at $710 per traveler, not including the price of blood pressure medication, cell phone minutes used and horn-exacerbated hearing loss. The results represent a 270% growth in delay time since 1982.

Among very large urban areas, you drivers in Los Angeles and environs are the most tortured, with 72 hours of your life squandered in traffic per year, followed by SF, DC, and Atlanta at 60 hours, Dallas/Ft. Worth at 58, and Houston at 56 hours. The northeastern seaboard cities all finished in the 38-46 hours-wasted range.

If you hate congestion, you might consider moving to Buffalo (11 hours), Cleveland (13 hours), Pittsburgh (16 hours) or Kansas City (17 hours). Of course, the extra 60 hours Californians spend on the freeway could be spent with the top down, catching rays, something Buffalo drivers might willingly trade for when zipping home quickly in the midst of winter.

Among the steps the study points out that can reduce congestion are

• Freeway entrance ramp metering
• Freeway incident management programs (I humbly suggest shooting those who slow down to rubberneck at accident sites)
• Traffic signal coordination
• Increase roadway capacity (duh)