Took a trip down to Oregon last weekend, about 225 miles.  Google said about 3 hours, 42 minutes.  Slowdowns encountered in every metropolitan area added 3 hours to the total each way, much of that time moving at stop and go speeds under 5 mph. You can drive faster in most parking lots.

It suggests cities are relying on the Interstate Highways for their arterial transportation.  That’s not good for interstate commerce, especially mine.  Better driving habits could alleviate some but not all of the problem.  Some suggestions:

1) Keep all city exits open and close all but a minimum of entrances. Force cities to better manage their traffic.
2) Adopt a speed, say 30 or 45 mph, below which lane changes are illegal except for entering and exiting the system.  Dodgy lane changers exacerbate the problem.
3) Adopt a minimum distance, say 3 or 4 car lengths, that if not maintained are subject to infraction. If total stops can be avoided, the time to get going again is also eliminated.  (You can't do this without #2)
4) Use existing overpasses to install automatic slowdown detection and traffic metering signals in congestion areas.  These are used on entrances and the same principle should apply to grid lock on the highway, and finally,
5) Support public transit, especially dedicated bus lanes and light rail. 

Yes, rail is expensive but so are roads.  It was impossible not to notice how much stalled traffic looks like a train - except with fewer people, more running engines and much slower speeds.

Even drivers should support bus and rail because getting anyone’s car off the road makes more space for theirs. Plus, there are important ecological benefits.  It’s not a new problem but one ever more deserving of attention and funds.