Baton Rouge has gained notoriety for its food, football and — in recent years — traffic.During the course of the first half of 2009, Baton Rouge moved on the congestion rank to No. 36 in a ranking of the 100 most populated cities in the United States, according to the INRIX National Traffic Scorecard. It ranked 33rd in 2008.Results of the 2008 survey indicated Baton Rouge was the only city of the top 100 most populated cities to increase in congestion. The 2009 survey of the first half of the year indicates Baton Rouge is one of 64 cities to experience an increase.The average commuter’s travel time in Baton Rouge has continuously increased with a typical 30-minute drive taking 33 minutes during peak traffic hours, INRIX Vice President of Marketing Scott Sedlik said.In Los Angeles, No. 1 on the 2009 congestion list, a typical 30-minute drive takes 40 minutes in peak traffic.In March of 2009, shortly after the 2008 report released, Sedlik said the excessive traffic condition was indicative of Baton Rouge’s thriving economy.”Although nobody loves traffic, in this particular case, it could be a positive [from an economic perspective],” Sedlik said in March. “It means that consumers are going to the malls. They’re making trips to the stores. Businesses are building products and shipping products.”Dek Terrell, economics professor, said construction on the interstate system is more likely to blame than the economy for traffic problems in Baton Rouge during 2008 and 2009.”If a weak economy is causing a reduction in traffic problems, a lot of it is probably trucking,” Terrell said. “If there’s a reduction in the demand for things that are sent by truck, that’s going to reduce the traffic.”Regardless of the economy, construction in Baton Rouge definitely plays a role in the increase in congestion, Sedlik said.”In Baton Rouge specifically, we can suspect traffic congestion will continue to get worse,” Sedlik said. “A number of the stimulus projects that are focused on road construction are starting to backup the freeways and highways.”Sherif Ishak, civil engineering professor, said the volume of drivers on the road are not responsible for the congestion in Baton Rouge — it’s generally poor planning.”The problem is with the planning from the very beginning,” Ishak said. “The way the urban sprawl here in Baton Rouge is really indicates that there is no good planning.”The lack of turning lanes on Highland Road, Nicholson Drive and Lee Drive are an indicator of poor planning, Ishak said. Turning lanes would help with operations and safety on major highways.In many cities, Ishak said there are turning lanes in front of neighborhoods and major residential complexes to efficiently move traffic, Ishak said. “There’s a huge difference between the traffic in the summertime [and during school],” Ishak said. —-Contact Lindsey Meaux at [email protected]