New statistics show something many D.C. drivers already know: Traffic is back to pre-pandemic levels — and even a bit worse.
“Traffic in the area — yes, it is back,” commuter Nabil Niori told News4.
“The pandemic was great, because there was no traffic. But we are back to the full levels of traffic. I spend all day driving around from appointment to appointment so I feel it in full effect,” commuter Carl Bruce said.
Traffic is up 0.4% in the D.C. area compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to the transportation analytics firm StreetLight Data.
Experts say one reason for the increase is more people decided to drive during the pandemic and have since stuck with that habit.
“And some people switched from riding Metro or riding the VRE and MARC train in Maryland — they switched to driving because they could,” said Ralph Buehler, a professor of urban affairs at the …