/ Leah Hogsten / Salt Lake Tribune file photo
By Lee Davidson | The Salt Lake Tribune
A new global study about traffic congestion says the Salt Lake metro area is one of the few places in North America making significant improvement, and it could serve as a model for others.
“We’ve been pleased to uncover some positive developments in cities like Portland [Ore.] and Salt Lake City, which might serve as examples for other cities,” said Nick Cohn, senior traffic expert for TomTom, a Netherlands-based navigation software company.
It just released its annual TomTom Traffic Index with statistics about congestion in 403 cities across 56 countries, gleaned from travelers who use its navigation systems.
It found that congestion is getting worse or is stable in 75% of the cities it studied worldwide.
Among the 93 large North American cities or metro areas that it evaluated, only 17 saw congestion drop last year — and the Salt Lake City area had the second-best decrease, even amid its rapid population growth.
