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Impact on Environment and Quality of Life Traffic
As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for D.C. metro area residents increased by 54 percent in the last ten years, from 22 minutes in 1991 to 34 minutes in 2001.6
The D.C. area also has the third worst crowded roads in the nation and second worst traffic for the morning and evening hours. More than one-third-36 percent-of all urban interstate miles within Washington, D.C. are severely congested. 7 Traffic delays caused the average resident to spend two full workweeks a year stalled in traffic. 8 A study by a local planning board task force predicted the weekday rush hour on the Beltway around Washington could total 14 hours by 2020.9
Even subway passengers can't escape the congestion. The area's population has grown so large that a five-minute train delay during rush hour leaves 3,000 or more people waiting on the platform.10
Crowded Housing: Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born. 12,13 Montgomery County has begun a $16 million plan to try to jump start the construction of affordable housing in the county, because many local workers can no longer afford to live there. 14 High immigrant concentrations in Fairfax County have led to massive crowding and plagued once-quiet neighborhoods. "People live in a great neighborhood, and the next day, 14 unrelated people move in, with inadequate bathroom facilities," says Virginia Senator Leslie Byrne. Byrne, whose office has been deluged with complaints about overcrowding, says this harms property values and puts public health at risk. 15
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