Miami's Traffic Problems Not as Bas as You Think

You leave work at 5 o'clock, hop on the 836 and at what seems like a snail's pace hop on the Palmetto and, if you're lucky, 60 minutes later you're back home at you're three-bedroom house in Kendall. Miami's traffic problems suck, don't they? Not according to a new study that says South Florida's average commute time is actually one of the least burdensome in the country.

A group called CEO's for Cities has released a new report, "Driven Apart," which analyzed how long citizens of the country's 51 biggest metro areas spend in peak hour traffic.

Out of the 51 metros, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach ranked a relatively low 38. Granted that takes into account all of South Florida and not just Miami-Dade's notorious roadways, but a previous study readily accepted by transit officials had ranked the entire area as having the 11th worst commute times. So apparently our traffic troubles aren't as bad as we once thought.

The "Driven Apart" study praises smart land use that avoids endless urban sprawl as well as smart use of public transport. Of course, no where in South Florida is really noted for either. But apparently we need to stop bitching about traffic, especially to our friends in Nashville. They have the worst traffic according to the study.

[CBS4: Report: S. Fla. Drivers Have Shorter Drive Time]