Atlanta Ranks Among Most Congested, Polluted U.S. Cities

Atlanta ranked among the top five most congested U.S. cities. Last month Forbes.com conducted a study of the nations largest cities to determine which metro areas had the most congested highways, with the longest commute times.

The Atlanta metro placed number one, above New York, Washington D.C and Los Angeles Forbes.com drew its conclusion by taking the 75 largest metro areas and calculating which city logged the longest commute times and the longest delays.

The study discovered that the average delay for an Atlanta commuter was 60 hours annually. Also, 24 percent of drivers polled said their commutes lasted longer than 45 minutes.

Also, Fulton County received an F from the American Lung Association's State of the Air report released today. Atlanta ranked number six out of the top 10 cities most polluted by year-round particle pollution.

The air quality in several cities has improved, but in others, declines in pollution have stalled. The trends tell us loud and clear that we need to do more to protect Americans from breathing air that’s simply hazardous to their health,” said Bernadette Toomey, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Lung Association. “We applaud the aggressive efforts of Los Angeles to control particle pollution. It’s proof that making a commitment to clean up pays off.”

-- Lydia Senn