Though vehicular travel across the country is down, traffic on many Lehigh Valley roads is increasing at a faster rate than the rest of Pennsylvania.
Traffic volumes in the Lehigh Valley region are growing faster than the rest of the state over the past 10 years, according to a report released by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
The traffic trends study released by the planning commission profiles traffic volume in 2011 and in the past two decades. Traffic is growing at a far slower rate in the past 10 years compared to the 10 years preceding that.
“People seem to be traveling less than they have in the past,” said Chief Transportation Planner Joseph Gurinko.
Statewide, arterial roads and expressways saw 10.2 percent traffic growth over 10 years. Roads in the Lehigh Valley saw an average 14.9 percent increase in traffic over the 10-year period.
“Our growth is largely due to migration” from New York and New Jersey, Gurinko said.
Rural roads saw an even steeper traffic growth rate compared to the rest of the state. The state percent growth was 12.1 percent, where rural roads in the Lehigh Valley saw an 18.7 percent growth over 10 years.
That growth comes from “urbanization” of rural areas, according to the report.
Lancaster and York counties also saw increases for similar reasons, Gurinko said.
The study profiled 11 roads in the Lehigh Valley. The roads saw average annual increases of 3.52 percent more vehicles for a set 24-hour period each year from 1991 to 2001.
But between 2001 and 2011, the average increase in the number of vehicles was only 0.37 percent.
The biggest overall increase was on Route 33 between Hecktown Road and Route 248 in Lower Nazareth Township. In 1991, that segment had 25,980 cars pass in a set 24-hour period. By 2001, the total was 39,100 cars. By 2011, 56,900 cars drove it.
Route 22 between Fullerton Avenue and Airport Road also saw a large increase, from 69,090 in 1991 to 90,200 in 2001, but 2011 only saw an increase of about 1,100 cars, according to the study.
While there is a correlation between gas prices and the amount of miles traveled, the amount of miles traveled typically does not drop until months after gas prices go up, according to the report. Instead, access to public transportation, an aging workforce and fewer children in the average household could have a larger bearing on miles traveled, according to the report.
The planning commission performs about 100 traffic studies in Lehigh and Northampton counties every year. They are scheduled to avoid holidays and major events such as Musikfest.